Beyond His Control
by Leydhawk
Summary: Kurt and Blaine discover why Sebastian has been such a jerk and with that knowledge, open up to friendship with him and soon more. Lots of sex and tons of emotional content as the boys navigate polyamory, a year apart, explore D/s dynamics and Kurt's control issues, and eventually find that the best, healthiest relationships might not look anything like what they anticipated.
1. Chapter 1

A/N _Finally! This is the monstrous story that's been occupying my time. It's a long, slow build, and it will have a Kurtbastian endgame. I love Klaine, but with the slight immaturity that I've written for Blaine in this one, as well as divergence of some kink preferences as the story unfolds, Kurt and Sebastian are the better couple here. I promise not to leave sweet Blaine alone and broken-hearted! The story starts sometime after On My Way and finishes AU in season 5-ish, it's definitely Kurt-centric. I'm planning on weekly updates_

 _Warnings for chapter one: Mentions of physical abuse, death of a parent (OC), phone sex, funeral, masturbation_

Turning Tables

"He...what?" Kurt's anger drained out, along with the blood from his face, leaving him with a deathly palor. Blaine's voice was strained and almost hard to understand through his phone. He'd witnessed a car accident involving their Dalton Warbler nemesis, Sebastian Smythe. Suddenly the mention of the arrogant, cruel boy no longer made Kurt see red. No one deserved the terror of a severe accident.

"I had to stay with him at the hospital, Kurt! The car accident... He's not hurt from that, but because he's been beaten, Kurt! I was in the hallway when there were these nurses talking... Long history of abuse, broken bones, some that didn't set right..." Blaine's voice broke. "He's such an asshole to keep everyone away from him, so they won't learn his secret. I'm not leaving him alone here."

"I'm on my way," Kurt said and hung up. He was shaken by the information, and torn. He felt a roaring protectiveness that stemmed from aching compassion, but another part of him argued that there was no excuse for how Sebastian had treated everyone. Nevertheless, Blaine needed him, and so he texted his father and jumped in the Nav to head for Westerville Memorial.

Blaine hovered around the ER, listening carefully to the scuttlebutt among the hospital employees, and trying to seem innocuous. He finally overheard that Sebastian was being transferred to a room, and he followed along, trailing far enough back that he was able to identify which room the other boy was settled into as well as when he was left alone. Blaine hurried in as soon as the last person in scrubs was out the door.

"Hey," Blaine said softly as he entered. Sebastian's head whipped around.

"Well hi there, Blaine. Fancy seeing you here."

"Sebastian... I'm glad you're okay."

"Uh-huh."

"Look, I... I heard. I know."

Sebastian's eyes flashed and his lips curled. "Know what, Blaine?"

"They were talking about your x-rays. All the broken bones."

"I think you misheard. I'm fine. I'll be out of here later today."

"I think they're sending the police to talk to you. I doubt you're going home with your dad, Sebastian."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the slender boy said dismissively, but Blaine could see his shoulders tense.

"C'mon. Once a Warbler, always a Warbler. Let me help."

"And just what do you think you can do, huh?"

"Be here. I'm here for you, Seb."

"Don't call me that," he snarled. Blaine recoiled, and Sebastian relented. "Bas," he corrected. "If you have to use a diminutive, call me Bas."

Blaine put his hand on Sebastian's forearm and smiled warmly. "Bas."

Sebastian ignored him and turned his head to look out the window.

When Kurt arrived, the typical snarky banter between Sebastian and him broke the silence. The barbs flew fast, bouncing like a table tennis tournament back and forth. Strangely enough, Sebastian seemed more comfortable arguing with and insulting Kurt than he had accepting Blaine's overtures of comfort.

"-not sure what you think a fairytale princess is gonna be able to do, either."

"Nothing, really, except sit and watch you whine like a little bit-"

"Kurt!" Blaine intervened. He was floored by his boyfriend's callous words. "Seriously? Don't you think Sebastian could use some support right now instead of -"

"Don't worry about it, babe," Sebastian said to Blaine with his typical half-smile. "I kind of find it cute to watch her try to banter with the big boy."

Kurt's lips twisted as he refused to rise to Sebastian's taunt. Blaine choked at the phrase and Kurt's single raised eyebrow. They exchanged glances and knowing smiles.

"You two are actually trying to insinuate that Princess has a big-"

A throat being cleared from the doorway cut Sebastian off, and a well-dressed, distinguished looking man arrived with a police officer.

"Sebastian, how are you doing?" The man in the suit asked.

"I'm fine, Headmaster. Ready to return to Dalton as soon as they release me, sir."

"Are these your friends?" The Headmaster asked.

"Um," Kurt started.

"Yes, Headmaster. I'm Blaine Anderson, and this is Kurt Hummel. We're both former Warblers."

"Of course, Blaine, I didn't recognize you two out of uniform. I hope you're both doing well at McKinley."

"Yes, sir."

"Sebastian, I have some very serious news for you. Would you like Blaine and Kurt to step out?"

"No, they can stay."

"Alright, son. I'm very sorry to let you know that your father didn't survive the surgery. His injuries were too extensive, and his body couldn't withstand-"

"I understand, sir." Sebastian's voice was abrupt and cold.

"Your mother had been notified. She's in Milan, as you know. She...she would like to talk with you to discuss whether you need her to come-"

"I understand, sir. I'll call her. If it's alright with you, I'll just come back to school and let my father's assistant deal with the arrangements."

"That's fine with us, Sebastian, but the police need a statement-"

"Blaine, Kurt, would you please leave?"

The boys left the room but waited in the hall, standing with their shoulders pressed one against the other.

"You could take it easy on him," Blaine said quietly.

"Then he'd really know things are turned upside down. It's normal for us to snipe."

Blaine looked at Kurt in awe. He hadn't thought of it that way. "I love you," he murmured. Kurt blushed and tried not to smile.

"Do you think it was his dad who..." Kurt asked.

"Yeah, I remember him being really bitter about his father."

Kurt sighed and shook his head. "No one deserves that. Not even him."

"I think that's why..." Blaine tried to justify Sebastian's mean boy ways to Kurt. Blaine had always liked the tall Warbler, and had had a hard time staying away from him at least until he'd thrown a slushie meant for Kurt that had damaged Blaine's eye when he got in the way.

"I know. It doesn't excuse what he did to you, but I'll do whatever I need to to help him." Kurt disliked Sebastian, but he couldn't walk away from someone in need.

"Thank you, Kurt. You're amazing."

But Kurt just stared into the distance, his mind elsewhere. Why was Sebastian's mother considering not coming to her husband's funeral? Or at least to be here for Sebastian?

The Headmaster of Dalton left with the police officer. He stopped for brief banalities with Kurt and Blaine, then left, telling them a car would be sent to pick Sebastian up to take him to Dalton.

They returned to Sebastian's bedside. The slim boy looked miserable, but as soon as he saw them, he smoothed his demeanor and sneered. "Aw, tweedle dee and tweedle princess waited to see if I've fallen apart. Well, I haven't. I would like to get dressed, though. Blaine, you can stay and help if you want," he said flirtatiously.

Blaine shifted uncomfortably, moving so he half-hid behind Kurt's shoulder. "Bas, c'mon..."

Kurt's head whipped back and forth between them. "A pet name, huh. How sweet. Blaine, I think it's time for you to go."

Blaine touched his hand and Kurt looked over at him. There was real tension and worry in his golden eyes. Kurt tilted his head and gave a wink, and Blaine relaxed.

"As long as you two aren't going to kill each other..."

Sebastian pouted. "Aw, Princess, you're really insecure, huh? Can't stand the idea of your boy seeing me getting dressed?"

"I'll have my phone on all night, Sebastian, if you need anything," Blaine offered, then left.

The two remaining boys stared at each other. And stared. And stared.

"You wanna see me naked that badly? Fine!" Sebastian snapped, throwing the covers off of himself. Kurt moved off to one side and leaned against the wall. He deliberately looked away as the tall, lanky boy stripped his hospital gown off and pulled his rumpled and stained Dalton uniform back on.

"I would have brought you a clean set of clothes but I figured you wouldn't want to wear anything of mine," Kurt said. He had to force himself not to offer help as Sebastian bit back sounds of pain as he slowly dressed.

Sebastian left the top couple of buttons undone on the shirt and stuffed his tie in the pocket of his blazer.

"You're right about that. When I dress in civvies I like to make it obvious that I'm a guy, not some femme twink."

"If you don't want to be mistaken as anything but a man, I figured you would wear a mask or something so you aren't mistaken for a rodent. At least a femme twink is a human being," Kurt snarked back. But when Sebastian started to stalk over to him, his slick-soled shoes slipped and he sucked in a wincing breath and Kurt smoothly stepped in and put his arm around Sebastian's waist and helped him to the chair beside the bed without comment.

They continued their repartee until the nurse came with his discharge papers and a wheelchair to take him down to the waiting Dalton Academy town car. Kurt followed, riding in the elevator with them. As the light on the numbers shifted indicating their descent, Sebastian addressed Kurt without looking at him.

"I don't want to go back to school yet," he said.

"Okay. We'll go somewhere else," Kurt replied.

So Kurt dismissed the Dalton car and brought his Navigator up and helped Sebastian into the passenger seat, silently indicating the controls for the seat adjustments. Sebastian fiddled with them, ending up leaning back and turning so he was facing Kurt, who glanced over with a quizzical look.

"Don't flatter yourself, dollface. I'm keeping the pressure off my ribs," he said. Kurt rolled his eyes.

Driving with care to avoid ruts in the road, Kurt drove to one of the few places in Westerville that he knew well, other than Blaine's house: the mall. He parked at the outer edge, facing a lightly wooded area.

"So, you better not expect me to blubber and bare my soul or something, Princess," Sebastian sneered. Kurt sighed.

"I still don't like you, Sebastian. But I think I understand you a little more now."

"Fuck you," Sebastian snarled. He tried to sit up and take his seatbelt off at the same time, but his injuries slowed him and he huffed and fell back in defeat.

"You have every right to feel angry. But you choose to be an asshole."

"And you choose to be an uppity bitch."

Kurt shrugged. "We all have our coping mechanisms."

Sebastian scoffed. "Coping? What have you ever had to cope with?"

Kurt paused. He really didn't want to bare his own soul to the mean boy beside him, but he knew it might be a way to break through to him. Still, he wasn't going to go so deeply personal that he exposed himself too much. "We're both gay and out in Ohio, Sebastian."

"Waah. So what?"

"So I know you know it's harder than you make it seem."

Kurt waited for another insult but Sebastian was quiet for almost a minute, and when he spoke his voice was softer.

"Well, it's certainly not Paris."

Kurt nodded, relieved. They both watched as the afternoon sun shone on the trees. A churchbell tolled, and Kurt glanced at the time. Five o'clock.

"Ding dong the witch is dead," Sebastian said, still in a hushed voice.

"I don't know if it's the right sentiment to say I'm sorry you lost your father, considering the circumstances, but... I'm sorry you lost any opportunity you might have had for reconciliation or closure or whatever. Even telling him off, or pressing charges, or... I'm just sorry, Sebastian."

"I don't even know how to feel."

They continued to sit in the quiet of the car until Kurt's phone buzzed. He looked at it.

From Blaine: Everything go okay? Are you home?

From Kurt: I'm hanging with Sebastian. I'll let you know when I get home.

"Are you texting about me?" Sebastian asked defensively. Kurt gave him a level stare.

"It's Blaine, asking if I'm home yet."

"What'd you tell him?"

"Just that we're hanging out."

"Is that what we're doing?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "What would you call it?"

"Well, we could get in the back seat, and then I'd know what to call it." Sebastian's words were typical of him, but his tone was only half-hearted.

"You've never been anything but insulting to me, so I know you aren't flirting."

"What? We shared a moment. I'd let you suck my cock."

"Oh my god, you're disgusting."

"You're not a frigid bitch, are you?"

"Well any moment we were having is long gone now. You're falling back into your asshole self, and I don't know how much more patience I can muster."

"You're kinda pretty when you blush like that. Is sweet young Blaine not enough man to melt that icy cunt?"

Kurt started the car and put it in reverse, scowling. He was done taking the other boy's shit for the time being.

Then Sebastian's fingers touched the back of Kurt's hand, and Kurt felt them shaking. He looked over at Sebastian for the first time since they'd parked. Sebastian's eyes were swimming. Kurt's narrowed, unconvinced of the sincerity of the expression.

"I don't know what to do," Sebastian whispered hoarsely. Kurt put the car back in park and turned his hand over, gently taking Sebastian's and bringing them down to rest on the console between the seats.

"It's okay to be pissed. To be hurt, or relieved or whatever. Feel whatever you actually feel. Just don't get stuck in it. Decide where you want to be eventually, and keep reminding yourself that that's where you're headed."

Sebastian clung to Kurt's hand for a few minutes, keeping his eyes closed and leaning his head against the seat.

Kurt let go immediately when Sebastian pulled away. The injured boy sighed.

"I don't know why you're being nice to me."

Kurt didn't reply. He barely understood himself, merely feeling in his heart that helping people who were hurt was the right thing to do.

"I mean, I know I'm irresistible, but you're really not my type," Sebastian said. Kurt eyed him warily and saw what seemed to be a wry smile in place of the cruel smirk he expected.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm here because I don't trust you alone with my boyfriend," Kurt replied with gentle rejoinder.

"Mmm. Blaine is everyone's type."

Kurt laughed. "He's pretty amazing." He paused, waiting for a cutting remark. "You really aren't on your game today, Sebastian. I gave you an opening the size of a stadium with that one."

"Well you're starving me. I'm faint with hunger. My wit might be resurrected by a milkshake, though."

"You're paying."

"Of course, Princess. The man always pays."

"Only if he's a gentleman, so it's good I have my own money."

Their banter was lighter and less hurtful as Kurt drove them through town at Sebastian's direction. They agreed that the fast food milkshakes were awful, and so took the time to go to a 50's style diner that Kurt made a mental note to bring Blaine to sometime. It was obvious Sebastian wasn't up to being seen in public looking less than immaculate, so Kurt went inside with the money Sebastian insisted he take, and returned with a strawberry shake for Sebastian and a chocolate malt for himself.

"I need to get back to the school soon," Sebastian said, sipping his drink.

Kurt drove, and pulled around to a side entrance at the dorms. He helped Sebastian to his room, and stayed at the taller boy's look of entreaty as they finished their treats.

"Are you going to be okay tonight? I could find one of the other boys to keep you company for a while," Kurt offered.

Sebastian slurped the rest of his shake loudly at that. "I don't need a damn babysitter." He threw the cup in the trash and took his blazer off.

"Don't be petulant. You could use a friend. Trent's a sweet guy, I bet he'd come watch a movie with you or something," Kurt suggested.

"I'm not into fatties."

"Well, I wouldn't want to subject him to your viciousness anyway. Do you want help with that?" Kurt shook his head but approached when he saw the tall boy struggling to get out of his shirt. He wasn't able to stifle a gasp at the purpling black and blue bruises littering Sebastian's torso.

"Back off Princess, I already told you you're not my type," Sebastian snapped. The shirt fell away and Kurt winced sympathetically. The bruises wrapped all the way to Sebastian's back.

"Those aren't from the car accident."

"Nope. The old man got in some good hits here before we headed out for that performance. I hope they had to cancel without their lead soloist." He went to his closet and pulled on a long blue bathrobe.

"Do you want some ice for those?" Kurt asked.

"Nah, I've got something better," Sebastian replied, pulling a flask from one of the pockets of the plush robe and taking a long swallow. Kurt shook his head.

"You're just full of vices aren't you?"

"It's better than being a vapid twink," he replied.

"So you're back to the cruel insults. I'm leaving. Don't count on our truce lasting past me walking out this door," Kurt snapped. He was fed up. He took twink as an acceptable description, but vapid... No. He was done being nice.

"Come on, Princess, you could stay and have a drink with me. Might loosen you up a little." Sebastian's words were his typical snide ones, but there was real need beneath them, a hopefulness in his tone that stopped Kurt.

"I don't drink," Kurt informed him. "And if I'm going to stay any longer, you're going to be nicer."

"I'm always nice."

"Vapid?"

"We've never had a conversation of any substance, Kurt, and look how you dress. Is anything in your life worth risking getting your precious clothes dirty?"

Kurt was taken aback by Sebastian's use of his name. "So what would you rather discuss with me?"

"Are you frigid?"

Kurt scoffed and headed for the door.

"Hey, it's a valid question!"

"I am not going to discuss my sex life with you, Sebastian."

"So that's a no. If you have a sex life to avoid talking about, I'm assuming there's something going on. C'mon, Princess, throw me a bone. I'm gonna be solo until these bruises heal. Tell me what it's like to take Blaine's thick cock-"

"Why assume I bottom?" Kurt snapped.

"Ooo! Juicy detail: thank you. Now I can imagine what Blaine looks like bent over and taking it..." Sebastian rolled his eyes back theatrically.

"Why do you have to be so crass?" Kurt huffed.

"Oh, so you're all romance and mood lighting? You never just get down and dirty and suck or fuck him? You're missing out. Quickies are their own pleasure."

Kurt sighed. "Change the subject please."

"No masturbatory enhancing details for me?"

"Ugh. Sebastian..."

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"Is your mom really not going to come back for your dad's funeral?"

Sebastian recoiled. "Next subject! Did Blaine ever tell you he was the champion of the secret Dalton fight club?"

"Why does everything about you involve sex or fighting?"

"Fucking and fighting are the cornerstones of masculine life. But maybe someone as femme as you wouldn't understand that," he said.

"You know that any adult gay man would consider you a twink, too, right? You're all baby-faced and skinny with your big pretty eyes and long fingers-" Kurt cut off abruptly.

A genuine smile spread over Sebastian's face. "You like me! I knew it. Every princess wants a big strong prince, and little Blaine just isn't-"

"Blaine is all the prince I want or need, you cretin."

They stared at each other, Kurt glaring and Sebastian smirking.

"I'll admit, every now and then, someone femme can be a nice change. You can keep dreaming. Maybe I'll throw you a bone sometime."

Kurt got up and left.

Talking with Blaine that night after they'd both gone to bed, Kurt fumed over Sebastian's rudeness.

"I guess that's what I get for trying to be nice to such a sex-crazed snob."

Blaine was quiet on his end.

"What?! He is! All he wanted to talk about was sex."

"Kurt, do you...find him attractive?"

Kurt stopped cold. "Sweetheart, I made it very clear to him that I have everything I want with you."

"I know. I'm not worried or jealous or something. I just... Aren't you maybe, um, protesting too much? He's very handsome, and he really can be charming, you know, when he wants to be..."

"Is this your way of telling me that you find him attractive?" Kurt asked softly. He waited for the same sliver of ice slide down his back that he always had when Sebastian flirted with Blaine in front of him.

"C'mon, empirically... And you and he are rather a type, with your long legs and tight bodies and silky upswept hair..."

Kurt had to take a moment. He expected jealousy to be choking him at Blaine's words, but it wasn't. "Is it weird that I-I'm not feeling jealous hearing you talk about him that way?"

"I don't think so. He's handsome, and you actually spent time with him, in a situation where your compassion opened you to his better qualities for a while..."

"I do feel bad for him, but I don't pity him."

"I think that's why he wanted you around. He's too proud to stand pity. You just kept treating him the same as you always do. And to be honest, I think he finds you very attractive."

"But... He's always femme-shaming me."

"Too much. I bet he secretly wants you."

Kurt felt lightheaded and uncomfortable as he found himself aroused at the idea.

"I know he really wants you, though."

"Yeah, that one's obvious, but..." Blaine bit his lip and considered the tone he'd heard in Kurt's voice. "Can't you imagine what it might be like to be with him? Both of us?"

Kurt gasped at the flood of images that came to his mind at Blaine's words. "Ohmygod, Blaine... That's..."

"Sick?"

"Hot. Can't you just see him in between us, me taking him, pushing him into you? Like that video you showed me..."

Blaine was already stroking himself to the idea. "Oh, Kurt..."

"Jesus, you're touching yourself, aren't you?" The thought of Blaine masturbating always set Kurt aflame.

"Join me? Tell me... Tell me what you'd do if you had both of us," Blaine begged.

Kurt took a shuddery breath and pushed his pajamas down, wrapping his hand around his cock.

"God, Blaine... Can you see him sitting on my lap, spread out over my legs with me inside him and you going down on him?"

Blaine moaned. He couldn't believe the change in Kurt since they'd started having sex. He was like a sex prodigy, and he was nearly insatiable in his desire for any and all sexual activity.

"I could watch as you fuck him, Kurt, and play with both of your balls and take him deep. I bet he's built like you... I'd love to deep throat him while you bounce him on your cock."

"Ah! Oh, Blaine... I can feel you, your hands playing with our balls while you take him in so deep... Me filling him up, you driving him crazy with your incredible mouth..."

"Yes, oh, Kurt... I'm-I'm getting close. I can hear you, moaning both our names... I bet he's tight. He probably wouldn't let many boys fuck him. It'd take someone strong and sexy like you to convince him..."

"Oh yeah... Tight and hot, watching him quiver as he rides me, he'd go wild for your mouth, for my cock... Oh! Oh! Blaine! Yes, come for me, baby... Come with me... Oh!"

Blaine shot thick ropes up his chest, stifling a groan as he listened to the little whimpers from Kurt that he knew meant his boyfriend was biting his lip to keep from shouting as he came.

They panted in each other's ears for long moments.

"Cleanup," Blaine finally murmured, and they both set their phones aside to wipe themselves free of come. When they were both back on the line, the silence between them lengthened.

"Blaine..." Kurt whispered, his uncertainty clear.

"Sweetheart, that was so hot. I love sharing fantasies with you," he said.

"Oh. Good. I just... I never thought of him that way before."

"You tend to like swarthier guys."

Kurt chuckled. "I bet Sebastian is pretty pale normally, but tonight all I could see were the bruises."

"You-you saw him naked?" Blaine's cock twitched.

"No! Just his chest and back. It was awful. Worse than..."

"Worse than what?"

"Worse than I used to get from all the times being shoved into lockers."

"Oh, Kurt... I didn't know you got bruises from that."

Kurt didn't reply, recalling instead the horrible sight of Sebastian's ribs and abdomen mottled with dark fist marks.

"It feels terrible to be glad someone died," Kurt confessed.

"I... I know what you mean. Poor Sebastian, growing up with fear and pain. It's no wonder he's so guarded."

"I just kept wanting to wrap him up and keep him safe. Then he'd open his mouth again. God, he's good at putting people off."

"Do you think..."

"What, sweetie?"

"Do you think we could try to be friends with him? Do you think he'd let us?"

"I... I guess I really do want to try. Even with all he put you through with your eye... All the insults... He's just a scared little boy. Thank you for having a big enough heart to want to help him."

"You too, Kurt. He's been just awful to you. So... It's okay if I text him and invite him for coffee with us tomorrow?"

"Yes, baby, I think that's a great idea."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N Thanks to everyone who read chapter one, especially tomada and DivaDi103 for the encouraging reviews. Being relatively new to the Glee fandom, I'm trying to build a readership, so I hope you all enjoy the new chapter!_

Chapter Two

Right Now

When Sebastian strolled into the Lima Bean coffee shop the following day, he moved slowly, but didn't favor what had to still be painful ribs.

"So why'd you guys want me here with both of you, huh?" Sebastian asked. His eyes darkened and he scoured the other boys' expressions. "Looking for some three way action?"

Kurt locked his reaction to that down hard, trying to keep from blushing. "Oh please. Like I'd take a buck-tooth-"

"Bas, thanks for coming," Blaine interrupted. Kurt's teeth clicked as he snapped his mouth shut.

Sebastian set his drink on the table and sprawled in the chair across the table from both of them. He wore a half-smile and didn't look put out at all by Kurt's remark. "Well, verbal sparring with your princess is better than banal, concerned chit-chat with the guys at school, so..."

"Sebastian, how are you doing, really?" Blaine asked, his eyes like warm caramel. Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"Please. I'm fine. More than fine, actually. Relieved that I never have to see that asshole again."

Blaine's puppy dog eyes of compassion made Sebastian's stomach twist. He turned his focus on Kurt, whose expression was understanding but not pitying.

"That's okay, Sebastian. Any news on when the funeral will be?" Kurt asked conversationally.

"I'm not going, so who gives a fuck?"

"I think that's a bad idea," Kurt replied, shrugging.

"We can go with you if you want," Blaine offered.

"I'm not going," Sebastian snapped.

Blaine recoiled, but Kurt just gave him a raised eyebrow.

"If this is just you two having an amateur intervention or something, I am so out of here," Sebastian said as he started to rise.

"No! Bas, please stay," Blaine said quickly. Kurt didn't speak but his look was challenging: stay _, I dare you._

Sebastian settled back and took a sip of his coffee.

"You guys been to Scandals recently?"

"We've been rather busy getting ready for nationals," Kurt said, smirking.

"I'm sure you all need as much practice as you can get," Sebastian replied, and the match was begun.

Blaine mostly watched and listened as Kurt and Sebastian tweaked each other's noses and exchanged sneers and sarcastic remarks. He found himself wondering if the two would snipe at one another even in an intimate situation, and thinking how hot that would be.

Somehow, by the time Blaine and Sebastian had to leave to drive back to Westerville, Kurt and Bas had each other's cell phone numbers and they shook hands as they all parted ways.

Blaine and Kurt lingered together in the parking lot after Sebastian drove away in his Porsche, which Kurt had teased was a symbolic penis substitute, and that had garnered a reply about the size of Kurt's Navigator compensating for his own lack below the belt. Kurt had merely smirked at that.

"That went well," Blaine said. They stood close, up against the side of Kurt's vehicle to stay as inconspicuous as they could.

"I think so, too. It was actually fun with him keeping his claws in. Mostly."

In truth, the banter had definitely seemed playful rather than scathing, and the difference was palpable.

"So maybe a friendship is possible, huh?"

"Yes, I think it is. I also think he should go to his dad's funeral. We'll have to work on that."

"I love you, Kurt. Thank you for...being you."

A very brief hug and quick kiss was all they were willing to risk in a public place, then they each headed home.

That evening Kurt was unsurprised to receive a text from Sebastian.

From Sebastian: you two aren't the only ones pushing me to go to that bastard's funeral.

From Kurt: when is it?

From Sebastian: Saturday

From Kurt: if you go, I'll go. Blaine too

From Sebastian: I don't want to go. Don't want to waste anymore time on him

From Kurt: closure isn't for him, it's for you, and it's worth your time

From Sebastian: you're such a pushy bitch

From Kurt: you want me to talk you into it. Just agree to go and I'll quit bugging you.

From Sebastian: so you're the Bas expert now?

From Kurt: the Bas whisperer

From Sebastian: I guess if you're whispering your voice would be less girly

From Sebastian: what, I can't insult you by text?

From Kurt: I'd rather keep it real

From Sebastian: you really do have a girly voice, princess

From Sebastian: come on! You know that's truth

From Kurt: are you going to the funeral?

From Sebastian: only if we take your car

From Kurt: okay

So Blaine and Kurt flanked Sebastian as he sat and made scoffing sounds at the positive, regretful comments the pastor and guests made on Saturday. Few people made the extra effort to drive out to the cemetery for the burial, so the crowd was much smaller at the graveside.

Kurt found his hands shaking as they lowered the casket, and he reached blindly for the comfort of holding someone's hand. When he clutched Sebastian's in his own, the tall boy rolled his eyes and looked at Kurt. He dropped the sarcastic remark that was on his lips when he saw how pale and haunted Kurt seemed, and he reached for Blaine's hand, drawing it across his body so all three of their hands entwined.

When the final words were spoken, the boys walked slowly back to the Nav.

"Do you want me to drive?" Blaine asked quietly. Kurt took a deep breath and shook his head.

"I'm fine," Kurt said.

On the highway heading back into Westerville, Sebastian suggested they stop at the 50's diner, and directed Kurt there. Once they were seated and had all gotten milkshakes, Sebastian couldn't hold back his curiosity any more.

"Why were you sadder at my dad's funeral than I was?" He asked bluntly.

"Bas-" Blaine started, trying to spare Kurt.

But Kurt put his hand on Blaine's leg under the table and gave a soft squeeze. "It's okay. Sebastian, my mom died when I was eight. That was the first burial I've been to since. First human burial, anyway." He exchanged a fond glance with Blaine over the memory of burying the canary Pavorotti, Kurt's song of lament having been what drew them together romantically.

"Jesus. Why the hell did you go today?"

"You're my friend and I didn't want you to be alone," Kurt replied simply.

"...friend? Are we friends now?"

"Well, we text every day, we go out... Either we're friends or we're dating, and sorry, Bas, but I already have a boyfriend," Kurt teased lightly.

Sebastian shocked both the others by blushing and looking away. Kurt and Blaine exchanged surprised glances, then Kurt blushed too when Blaine smiled and waggled his eyebrows.

"I'm kind of surprised you two skinny boys can suck down the carbs like this," Blaine said as the silence lengthened uncomfortably.

"I have a naturally fast metabolism. I can eat anything and not gain weight. It was great when I was in France," Sebastian said, taking the distraction as quickly as possible.

The boys moved on, talking and teasing, but once they had dropped Sebastian off at his dorm, Blaine turned to Kurt expectantly.

"You saw it! I can't believe that. You know that means he wants you," Blaine gushed. Kurt's face reddened again and he kept very busy driving, trying to avoid responding.

Kurt pondered, and finally turned to Blaine when he'd pulled into the Anderson's driveway.

"Why isn't it weird or stressful or anything with you talking about that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Shouldn't it feel weird? You're excited about the idea of me and Sebastian together, or all three of us or whatever. Shouldn't I feel jealous? Or... I don't know, _weird_. Plus, it's Sebastian! I didn't like him. I _actively_ disliked him. But now it's just..."

"Kurt... You're a generous, compassionate person. It doesn't surprise me at all that you've forgiven or at least moved past our history with Sebastian. And as for it not being weird that the three of us might have sex or even a relationship... Well, you know that I love you. I know you love me. It's just a given that we are totally confident in each other's affections. So if we have all this love, and all this sexual energy, why not share it?"

Kurt tilted his head, trying to figure out if what Blaine said made sense to him.

"I've been jealous in the past, though. Jealous of everyone who showed interest in you: including Sebastian."

"We aren't talking about me going off to have sex with Sebastian, though. We're talking about maybe sharing some of what we have that's so amazing and special."

Kurt sighed. "I don't know. It just seems like I should be reacting to this more."

"We haven't even talked with him about it anyway. You can keep mulling it over for a while. But, I want you to know that I am actually serious about this. I really think we should try it."

Kurt nodded thoughtfully.

"Can we go inside and have sex now? All this threesome talk has made me super horny."

Kurt laughed. "Yes, baby. Let's go."

~~Glee~~

Kurt didn't end up having as much time as Blaine figured to try to work through his internal struggle before discussing it with Sebastian. The friendship part came up when Kurt and Bas started texting that very evening.

From Sebastian: I actually got worried when you went all pale at the burial. I didn't think you could get any whiter than you already are. You doing okay?

From Kurt: kind of like you blushing at the diner: me getting pale(r) doesn't happen often. But I'm fine, thank you for asking

From Sebastian: what?! When did I blush?

From Kurt: you know when. Don't play coy, it doesn't suit you

From Sebastian: it's weird being friends with you

From Kurt: I said something like that to Blaine today

From Sebastian: yeah?

From Kurt: but I emphasized how NOT weird it actually feels. Shouldn't it be weird? Especially with the flirting and the sparring?

From Sebastian: someone who thinks he's very wise recently told me to just feel what I feel and not get stuck in it

From Kurt: sounds very wise indeed

From Sebastian: whatever

From Sebastian: so with it all not weird, can I see you tomorrow?

From Kurt: Blaine has to spend the day with his parents

From Sebastian: I guess I could deal with just you for a while. Coffee? Maybe a movie? Something else?

From Kurt: are you asking me on a date?

From Sebastian: I have it on good authority that friends can do stuff together and have it not be dating

From Kurt: okay then. Text me in the morning. I need to make sure Blaine's okay with it

From Sebastian: and I thought he was the one who was pussywhipped

From Kurt: femme-shaming. Gee, that's original

From Sebastian: figure of speech. Cock-whipped has a whole different connotation

From Kurt: 'crass', 'Bas'. No wonder they sound alike

From Sebastian: you really don't mind it. Admit it (and you pronounce it Baz- I've heard you)

From Kurt: when you're being serious, I don't mind so much. But I do want to keep our texting as free of the BS as possible

From Sebastian. Yes sir

From Kurt: that's better

From Sebastian: I'll text you in the morning

From Kurt: goodnight

From Sebastian: night

Kurt immediately called Blaine.

"I know you're busy tomorrow, but Bas wants to go out with me. Is that okay with you? It's fine if it's not, of course," Kurt said in a rush.

"No that's great! You should totally go and spend more time with him."

"You're not...jealous?"

"Of getting to spend time with my friends rather than having uncomfortable family time, yes. Of you and Sebastian together, no. Of course not. And if the moment arises for you to broach the topic of the three of us sleeping together, that's fine, too."

"Ohmygod, Blaine, I thought we were taking that idea slow?!"

"I know. And if you need more time to wallow in your _lack_ of angst, that's okay. But...sex with both of us, Kurt! God, I get hard every time I think of it. Don't you?"

"I am not wallowing in my lack of angst! I'm just..." Kurt sighed. "Yes I am. If it comes up, I'll see what he thinks. But..."

"No buts! Just do it."

" _But_ , you're right that the idea is super hot. So if I talk about it with Bas, and we get...aroused, we'll, um, I just... Blaine, can I kiss him? I won't take it any further than that, but it just seems to me like it would be mean to bring it up and ask him to be vulnerable admitting he wants it, too, and then leaving him hanging, you know?"

"Kurt... I'm so hard right now. I would rather be there to watch you kiss him, but just knowing you did it would make me... Oh. Please tell me what you want to do to us? I've gotta..."

Kurt could hear Blaine panting and knew he was touching himself. He curled on his side, not ready to masturbate himself yet, but perfectly happy to help Blaine get off.

"Hmm. What do you think of riding him while I'm in him? Oh, baby, or both of us in you? I doubt we'd be much bigger than that huge toy you have. Could you do that? Sit on him and then let me push in beside him and stretch you that wide? Rubbing my cock against his, squeezed tight together by your beautiful body. Oh, Blaine, that would be incredible to see..."

"Ngh...oh...oh... Kuuurrt..." Blaine groaned as he came just that fast.

"So this really does turn you on a _lot_ ," Kurt commented after Blaine had cleaned up and gotten back on the phone.

"God, does it ever!" Blaine grinned. "So really, Kurt, I trust you to do anything you feel comfortable doing with Bas tomorrow. If you feel like doing more than kiss, that's okay with me. I truly trust you completely."

Kurt laughed lightly. "Okay, sweetheart. I understand. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Sweet dreams."

"You too."

Kurt shook his head as he started to put his phone down. Then he decided to send a text.

From Kurt: I talked with Blaine. I'm all yours tomorrow, so you better be good

From Sebastian: oh, I am. Can't wait to see you

From Kurt: really? I'm not a consolation prize?

From Sebastian: you're a whole different prize. Sleep well

From Kurt: you too

Kurt set his phone aside, turning off the light and settling in under the covers. He took a few deep breaths and tried to clear his mind and relax for sleep, but the only images behind his eyelids were erotic and not restful at all. The picture of Sebastian without his shirt on miraculously no longer had the bruises all over him, and instead was just his light skin with the tight, ropy muscles wrapping his strong arms, cut torso, and leading down to trail under the waist of his slacks. The image shifted and suddenly he was in a pair of boxer briefs instead, and he was looking at Kurt with hooded, hungry eyes.

Kurt felt his erection pressing against his pajama pants and he decided it would help him sleep if he masturbated, so he tossed the covers back and pushed his pants down past his ass. He reached for the lube and the piece of silky fabric that had once been some kind of sports jersey that he used for cleanup, and sometimes, when it was freshly cleaned, for a dry rub. But tonight he wanted the slick glide that lube provided, so he squeezed some out and stroked himself a few times to spread it, teasing the head with a swipe of his thumb.

Sebastian. No, _Bas_. Sebastian was the mean asshole who nearly blinded Blaine. Bas was the damaged boy he'd been getting to know and like in the last two weeks.

So...Bas, smirking at him as he dropped to his knees and started sucking Kurt. He shivered at the image and squeezed the head, creating a little suction in his hand, imagining it was Bas's mouth. He had to bite back a moan.

Using his other hand, Kurt cupped his balls and teased the lower part of his shaft as he started working the top half with his slick hand.

Bas bobbing, licking across the slit every few passes, looking up at him with those gorgeous green eyes. Oh, the silky feel of his straight hair as Kurt ran his fingers through... Different from the curls that Blaine had, which he let free when they were taking their time... _Blaine_. Kissing Blaine while Bas blew him. Kurt _did_ moan at that. Mmm. Blaine sitting against his headboard, Kurt in front of him, safe in his strong, loving embrace, with Blaine's talented hands touching Kurt's chest, his velvet voice speaking in his ear, all while Bas sucked him. Bas's long-fingered hand below his mouth, pumping Kurt down to the root even while he tongued the crown and... _Oh_!

Kurt tasted copper as he bit his lips to hold back his sounds. He worked himself through his orgasm, his back arching off the bed as he writhed, then collapsed flat, breathing hard, spent, with his chest splattered almost to his chin.

Blinking away the starbursts in his vision, Kurt cleaned up and then pulled his pants up and snuggled under the covers on his side. He could still feel his imaginary Blaine holding him from behind, and he added in the thought of Bas's slim form in front of him, chest to chest, sharing breath as their heads shared his pillow. He drifted off, content.

~~Glee~~

From Bas: good morning princess

From Kurt: I'm tempted not to even respond to that

From Bas: you don't like the nickname?

From Kurt: no

From Bas: alternative preference?

From Kurt: I don't know, maybe my NAME?

From Bas: good morning princess Kurt

From Bas: really? God, you're pretty sensitive for a non-princess

From Bas: you're pretty, too

From Bas: come ON!

From Bas: Kurt?

From Kurt: yes, Bas?

From Bas: you know how to get what you want, don't you?

From Kurt: I'm learning

From Bas: you want me to drive today?

From Kurt: how are you feeling?

From Bas: nothing a couple of shots won't cure

From Bas: that was a joke

From Kurt: I repeat: how are you feeling?

From Bas: okay. A little sore but nothing I haven't dealt with before. I'm fine to drive

From Kurt: alright. When will my carriage arrive?

From Bas: now you're just confusing the issue

From Kurt: well?

From Bas: I'll be there at 11. Wear something comfortable, we may do some walking, and definitely a lot of driving

From Kurt: what's the plan?

From Bas: for me to know and you to enjoy being surprised

From Kurt: I'm not sure that works for me

From Bas: trust me, please, Kurt

From Kurt: since you asked nicely...

Choosing what to wear without knowing what exactly they'd be doing was a challenge, but Kurt managed. He nixed the platform shoes he had considered when he recalled having to look up at Bas, opting for his best fitting, most comfortable Doc Martens, left partly undone. Skinny jeans, but not his tightest ones; they had to be alright for sitting in a sports car for who knew how long. A fitted dark blue t-shirt under a white henley, with black leather bracers and his slouchy black leather civil war uniform hat. He nodded to his reflection and went downstairs to make breakfast.

Bas knocked on the front door promptly at eleven. Kurt was glad he was home alone and wouldn't have to try to explain why his former adversary was there and where they were going when he didn't actually know himself. He'd let his dad know he was going out for the day with friends, and would be home by curfew, and that had been enough for Burt.

Kurt brought his thigh length, slim fit wool coat with him, but the air was merely brisk so he didn't put it on.

"You look positively butch, Princess," Bas remarked as they went down the walk to the waiting Porsche. Kurt stopped halfway there.

"No."

"What?!" Bas smirked as he turned back to see Kurt's bitch face. "You cannot expect me to spend all day with you and not tease you. Come _on_!"

"I'm done with the femme-shaming. Teasing; _good-natured_ teasing, is fine. I'd miss our banter. But no more girl jokes."

Bas looked torn. His eyes narrowed and his lip twitched toward a sneer, then his shoulders slumped a little and he frowned.

Finally, his back straightened and he sauntered back up to Kurt, looking down at him from so close they were almost touching. Kurt held his breath, unable to tell from just their short acquaintance which side of Bas had won.

"I'm going to have to work on a different nickname, then. Kurt is too _curt_ for someone like you," Bas said, flashing a happy smile. Kurt exhaled sharply in relief.

Bas turned back around and got in his car. Kurt followed, slipping into the cradling leather seat with a pleased sigh. Then he turned to Bas with one eyebrow raised.

"You're good at backhanded compliments. So, where are we going?"

"I should make you guess."

"Do I get a hint? I don't know you well enough to guess."

"Sure you do."

"The rodent house at the zoo?"

"I thought we weren't being mean, prin-" Bas pointedly stopped himself before uttering the hated nickname.

"You're right. I apologize. I'm just not good at guessing and not knowing is honestly bothering me. I have some control issues."

Bas got them going, and only replied when they were waiting at the light for the highway on-ramp.

"Cincinnati."

Kurt waited for more information. Then he sighed, blowing air out in frustration. "One word? You could have said that back at my house. Any more details?"

Bas accelerated, quickly shifting through the gears, using the power of his car's engine and smirking as he saw Kurt pressed back into the seat.

"You okay there? Don't want the g-forces to impair your breathing or anything."

"Please. I have better lungs than most athletes; haven't you heard my breath control?"

"You rarely stop talking. Is that what you mean?"

"I mean that you shouldn't forget that I'm on the team that beat you at regionals."

"Well, mostly all I saw was you singing backup, so it's hard to tell if you actually-"

"Jesus, Sebastian! I'm not spending the day with you being Sebastian the cruel. If you're just going to be a male Santana, I want out of this car right now."

Sebastian didn't slow the car, and his expression darkened.

"I am who I am, Kurt. I thought being friends meant you accepted that."

Kurt struggled to get his temper under control. The miles whizzed by, and he stared out the window unseeing.

"Bas," he finally began. "I like our banter, but the part of you that goes for the jugular to try to hurt people so they can't get close enough to you to hurt you isn't healthy or productive. I want to be friends with you, not your razor spiked armor."

Bas clenched the steering wheel hard. "I don't know how to just turn it off, okay?" He whispered. Kurt barely heard him, and it took a few extra seconds for the words to register.

"Okay. I'm going to call you out on it when you go from fun to mean. I like you, Bas. At least I do when you aren't cutting my heart out."

Sebastian's face crumpled at that. "I don't want to do that to you."

Kurt put his hand on Bas's knee. "I know."

They drove for a while longer, then Kurt removed his hand.

"So, have you really never heard me sing?"

"Not really. Not a proper solo performance."

"We'll have to rectify that."

"That's part of the plan."

"The plan! You sidetracked me! What is the plan? What are we going all the way to Cincinnati for?"

"I think telling you that we're going to the city is enough. We'll have lunch and look around, and later on I'll drive you home. That's as much as you're getting,"

"That's not fair!"

"Don't you trust me?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"Well, then call today a trust-building exercise."

"You're infuriating."

Bas just smiled.

~~Glee~~

As they made their way through the suburbs and into Cincinnati proper, Kurt was impressed with the confidence Bas showed in where he was going. He stopped at a restaurant and told Kurt to wait in the car, then returned just a few minutes later with food. He then drove toward the river and parked across from Washington Park.

"Picnic lunch okay?" Bas finally asked.

"Sure."

They found a place to sit and Bas unloaded the bag he'd aquired at the restaurant. Cold roast chicken, some kind of white bean spread for the sliced baguette he unwrapped, green bean pickles, and two small slices of a light-looking cake.

"Bas, this looks incredible!"

"I got spoiled with the amazing food in Paris. That little restaurant has the most authentic French food I've found anywhere in Ohio. If we only could have a nice rosé, it would be complete," Sebastian said, handing Kurt a bottle of lemonade.

It tasted as good as it looked. Bas watched Kurt and enjoyed his reactions as much as the food.

"This is divine! I have got to find a recipe for these green beans."

"Mmm, the pepper flakes in this tapenade add just the right note!"

"Is this yogurt cake? Ohmygod, yum!"

When they finished, Kurt found himself blushing at Bas's gallant clearing of the trash, and realized that he had a distinct sense of being wooed. But any concerns he had about how to bring up Blaine's proposition fell away when Bas revealed their next stop: a private tour of the famous Cincinnati Music Hall.

"How..."

"My mom is a patron who makes large annual donations, and her father was on the board for ten years," Bas said, shrugging.

"I've been to shows here, and I so love the building! A tour! A private tour! Oh, Bas, this is incredible. I'm just sad Blaine is missing it."

"He's had the tour. The Warblers get a tour each fall after auditions are through. The trip is a team building thing."

"He never told me, and I wasn't at Dalton that early in the year..."

"Good. That means that I get to be the one to bust your music hall backstage cherry," Bas smirked. Kurt lightly backhanded his arm, but stared up in awe at the familiar building.

The tour was fascinating. Kurt got details of various performances and famous visitors, and got to see all the workings backstage at a professional theater. He imagined one of the dressing rooms as his, and just about fell over in a faint when Bas invited him to sing on the stage.

"What?!" Kurt's voice went almost shrill. "Are you serious?"

"I told you that hearing you sing a proper solo was part of the plan."

Kurt hesitated. "Are you going to make fun of my vocal range?"

Bas shook his head and shrugged that off. "Making fun of your voice singing would be like making fun of the chandeliers in the lobby."

Kurt blushed at the compliment and took the stage.

It was like singing for those stolen moments on the stage in New York with Rachel, but better, because it was just him. Sebastian moved away and went to sit in the audience, and Kurt wracked his brain for what to sing. Then it came to him, and he took a breath and began.

 _My story is much too sad to be told_

The stage lights were just the ambient ones, so Kurt could see Bas in his seat. His head tilted, and Kurt continued, seeing recognition dawn when he got to the more familiar refrain.

 _I get no kick from champagne._

 _Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all._

 _So tell me why should it be true_

 _That I get a kick out of you?_

Kurt sang it to Sebastian, feeling the sentiment with full honesty. The verbal sparring, the sexy flirting; he really did get a kick out of all of it.

He finished and Bas stood to applaud. Kurt was surprised to hear more clapping from the wings. The tour guide as well as a couple of men in work clothes were applauding, too. Kurt took his bows and then it was time for them to go.

Outside, Kurt was still flush from his triumphant performance, and he could barely keep his feet on the ground.

"If I was gonna keep calling you femme names, I'd have to switch to Queen now: that was beyond a Princess performance," Bas said. Kurt's heart crashed.

"I... Bas, what the fuck?"

The hurt in Kurt's voice shook Sebastian. And when he looked and saw tears in Kurt's eyes, he was appalled. "No... Wait, Kurt..."

Kurt stomped away, then changed his mind and came back to the taller boy. He glared up at him.

"I said I'd call you on it. That was hurtful and mean. Do you think that just because you gave me an amazing afternoon that you can treat me like dirt? Is that somehow balanced in your mind? Because it's bullshit!"

"It just slipped out. Kurt, I can barely keep the 'no BS' in our texting, you've gotta give me a chance to get used to not pulling it when we're talking."

Kurt whipped out his phone, typing quickly. Then Bas's phone buzzed.

From Kurt: Let's do this this way, then

From Bas: fine

From Bas: I'm sorry

Kurt sighed. The fight drained out of him, and he shook himself at his own drama.

From Kurt: I don't know why your words hurt me so badly. I ignore everyone else

From Bas: I don't want to hurt you

From Kurt: I know. Look, today has been incredible. Thank you

From Bas: you're welcome. I'm glad you've enjoyed it. I have too

From Kurt: it feels like a date

From Bas: I know

From Kurt: and?

From Bas: I don't know. You and Blaine are the only people I think of as real friends and I don't want to fuck that up

Kurt took a deep breath and dove in, ignoring the mini fight they'd just had.

From Kurt: Blaine and I, TOGETHER, have been discussing the idea of asking you if you would sleep with us.

Bas froze. His eyes didn't leave the screen as he turned around, putting his back to Kurt, whose stomach dropped at the action.

From Bas: is this an elaborate plot to get revenge on me?

Kurt made a scoffing sound and Bas flinched.

"No," Kurt breathed, then turned back to texting.

From Kurt: if it was, I would lie right now, but no, Bas, it's not. Blaine has always liked you, excepting his weeks of recovery from the slushie, and I have...grown quite fond of you since the accident. And of course you're sexy as hell, so...

Bas barked a laugh as he read, but he turned back around and looked at Kurt. The uncertain wonderment in his eyes was heartbreaking, and Kurt stepped closer and put his hand on Bas's cheek.

"It's true. I don't know where it might lead, but... We want you, Bas."

Bas's cocky grin surfaced. "Who wouldn't?"

Kurt slapped his cheek lightly. "Don't be an ass. I could rescind the offer."

"But if Blaine wants it, too..."

Kurt's expression grew serious. "It's both of us or neither, Bas. We're not going to wreck our own relationship for this. It's more like... Expanding it. To include you, somehow...sometimes. What do you think?"

"I think that if Blaine were here, I'd kiss you and show you how on board I am with it."

"Well, it's a good thing he and I already planned for this, then," Kurt said softly, and gently drew Bas's face down toward his, rocking onto the balls of his feet to bring their lips together.

Kurt felt like he'd been poked with bare electrical wires; his skin was alive with energy, and he felt his heart beating faster with each soft press and slide against the taller boy's lips. Bas was nearly frozen with the same response. His breath caught, and he felt dizzy, putting his hands onto Kurt's hips to steady himself. Kurt swayed closer with the contact, increasing the pressure of the kiss and parting his lips at the same time, drawing Bas's open for the first slow lick.

Bas locked his knees to keep from collapsing. Kurt was kissing his mouth like he _owned_ it, and Bas only wanted him to keep doing it forever.

Eventually, Kurt realized that they were standing in the middle of a parking lot and so he gently broke away, kissing each corner of Bas's mouth and then briefly his lips again before he moved back. The tall boy just stood there, eyes still closed, seeming frozen. Kurt stroked his fingers down his cheek and murmured his name. Bas's eyes fluttered open, and Kurt felt like he was seeing Sebastian Smythe for the very first time. He looked open and vulnerable and Kurt wanted to wrap him up and protect him forever so he wouldn't ever have to put the walls back up that hid this beautiful spirit.

"Oh, Bas. Thank you," Kurt said softly.

"I... I don't..."

"Shh. It's okay. Let's get in the car. We don't have to go anywhere, but let's get inside, okay?"

Bas nodded, and they went to the Porsche and climbed in. Kurt faced Bas, but Bas stared ahead out the windshield.

"Sebastian? Are you okay?" Kurt asked quietly. Bas swallowed audibly and shook his head. "What is it?"

Kurt hesitated, but finally reached out and took Bas's hand in both of his.

"C'mon, I might be able to fuck your brains out, but I don't think I could have kissed them out of you," Kurt teased. Bas gave a start then stared at him.

"You... You said fuck. Referencing sex, not as a swear."

"Yeah. So?"

"You said you'd fuck me. You want to fuck me? I mean, you said... In that text... And you're a top... I don't... Um..."

"Ohmygod, did I break you or something? Bas, it's okay. I'm not going to attack you. Please relax and tell me what you're thinking. Or feeling? Please, tell me what-"

"You cracked me open and filled me up and... Kurt, I... I can't say how sorry I am for hurting you, and you're, you're giving me a chance to be your friend, and to be with you and Blaine, god, beautiful Blaine... I don't know, maybe you did break me."

"I think that you don't know that you're worth caring about. But you are, Bas. That's something your dad took from you, but maybe Blaine and I can start to give it back. You matter, Bas. You matter to me."

Sebastian blinked. Kurt wasn't sure if what he said even made it to his awareness, but he was ready to repeat it as often as necessary.

Everything swirled in Bas's brain, and his head pounded. Too many thoughts and memories chased each other round and round: all the horrible, degrading things he'd grown up hearing from his father, all the pain throughout his life... But Kurt and Blaine, reaching out to him in spite of the pain he'd caused them. Kurt, wanting him. Kissing him like he belonged to Kurt, like he was wanted and needed for something more than fleeting moments of pleasure. It was too much.

"I think if you kiss me again, I might be able to get my brain back in gear," Bas confessed; hesitant, asking and feeling totally unworthy of having his needs met.

Kurt relaxed, relieved that there was something he could do for his friend. He leaned closer and Bas met him halfway and they kissed, heat rising between them in a wave of sexual desire that washed away any doubts either of them had.

Kurt pulled back first, not realizing he'd clutched Bas's shirt front in his fist and that Bas's hand was tight on the back of Kurt's neck. They both sat gasping.

"Okay. Alright. So, there's definitely chemistry there. Um, sorry about your shirt," Kurt said, smoothing the fabric against Bas's chest and almost groaning as he felt the heat from the boy's skin on his hand. He interlaced his fingers and put them in his lap to avoid the temptation of tearing Sebastian's shirt off right there. Bas withdrew his hand as well.

"You say when and where, and I will be there," Bas stated. Kurt laughed.

"That's always the trick, isn't it? Finding time and a place alone? Blaine's folks travel for work a lot, so that's where we usually get the chance to take our time. And I definitely want to take my time with you," Kurt said. He saw Bas shudder at the statement and a thrill went through him. He felt almost lightheaded, and wished Blaine was there to share a look with. They so often knew what the other was thinking without saying anything. "I'm going to text Blaine. He'll be so happy!"

"Really?"

"Yes, for sure!" Kurt giggled. "I hope he's not in a compromising position, though."

"Huh?"

"He gets an instant hard-on when he thinks of the three of us together."

" _Blaine_ does? Seriously?"

Kurt heard something in his voice that made him pause in getting his phone out. "He's your dream guy, isn't he? Your fantasy."

Bas blushed again and turned his head away.

"It's okay, Bas. He's my teenage dream, too."

Bas's hand crept toward Kurt, and he enfolded it in his own immediately. With his other hand he texted Blaine.

From Kurt: he said yes!

From Blaine: OMG

From Blaine: did you kiss him?

From Kurt: yes

From Blaine: I just excused myself to the bathroom and I'm going outside. Call me?

"Blaine wants to talk to us. Is that okay?" Kurt asked. Sebastian's hand tightened in his, but he nodded. Kurt called and spoke quickly to Blaine's breathless greeting. "You're on speaker, sweetie. We're in the car."

"Hi guys!" Blaine practically sang. Bas's head finally turned back and he looked at the phone Kurt held flat in his hand.

"Hey, Blaine. You've been holding out on me. I never knew you had a kinky, ménage á trois fantasy," Sebastian said, his confident persona sliding back into place. Kurt looked at him anxiously but relaxed when he saw that Bas was still blushing and his face still had that open look on it.

Blaine laughed. "Just you, Bas. I can't imagine sharing Kurt with anyone else."

Blaine's voice and the phrasing went straight to Kurt's groin and he sucked in a breath as he started to get hard. "Blaine! You can't say something like that right now. I'm going to bust a seam on my pants!"

Bas gasped and his eyes went to Kurt's lap, eyebrows rising when he saw the denim straining over the bulge there.

"Maybe Bas could help you with that," Blaine suggested.

"Ohmygod, baby, I'm not going further than kissing without you."

"I'm right here on the line," Blaine said, his voice dropping and sounding like liquid gold.

"Fuck," Bas muttered, adjusting himself. Seeing his discomfort and arousal gave Kurt the impetus to get himself under control. He'd seriously been considering letting Bas give him a hand job.

"Behave yourself, Blaine. We're in Cincinnati in Bas's Porsche. That's not going to happen." Kurt's voice had quiet authority and Bas almost moaned, biting it back with effort. "Any chance we can meet up somewhere in a few hours?"

"Why don't you guys come to my house after you get some dinner? Mom's got bridge and Dad will be working on a proposal in his office."

Kurt calculated. "Be there around seven?"

"Perfect. Then we can have a couple hours before you have to go."

Bas frowned.

"My curfew is ten on school nights," Kurt explained to Bas. "But Bas drove. Someone will have to take me home."

"Dalton lights out is at eleven. I'll take you home," Bas said quickly.

"See? Now we need to hang up because I have to get myself calmed down before I go back in to my parents," Blaine said, his voice bubbling with excitement.

"Okay. See you soon! Love you," Kurt said.

"Love you, too. Bye guys!"

Kurt hung up. "Well? Let's get headed back to Westerville, shall we?"

Bas agreed.

They held hands on the highway, and Kurt kept looking down at their interlaced fingers in wonder as he planned. They'd have to be quiet, but Blaine's house was big, and his dad's office on the opposite end from Blaine's bedroom. They'd certainly done plenty of sexy things with his father either oblivious or unconcerned in the past. Still, they never had penetrative sex unless they had time and space alone so they could really cut loose. So... Blowjobs? He shook his head slightly. Too intimate for the first time.

With the limits for the evening set in his mind, Kurt relaxed. They'd do whatever felt right.

The 50's diner seemed to be their place since that's where Sebastian took them for dinner when they got back to Westerville. Kurt ate his salad and tried not to stare and think about what was going to happen later. Bas stared too much, enjoying how it seemed to make Kurt a little nervous.

"What!" Kurt finally snapped, unleashing a huge grin from Bas. Kurt's eyes narrowed.

"You're cute when you're paranoid," Bas said. Kurt gave a little huff, but a smile curled the edges of his lips.

"And when you're embarrassed. And when you're eating. And-"

"Ohmygod will you please stop?"

Bas laughed. "This is too much fun! You get upset when I insult you, you get upset when I compliment you... What's a boy to do, Kurt Hummel?" He blinked flirtatiously and laughed again when Kurt's face pinked.

"I suppose the compliments are better than the insults, but only if you're sincere."

Bas put his burger down and reached across the table to put his hand on top of Kurt's. Kurt looked around, worried about people seeing the display.

"Kurt, you're a very attractive guy. Just because you're a fashionista who is way too stylish for Ohio doesn't lessen that."

"Why did you treat me like you did at the beginning?" Kurt asked suddenly, trying to change the subject by latching onto the elephant that had been phasing in and out of every interaction they'd had.

"You had Blaine. I wanted him. I figured if I could rile you up enough you'd have some kind of hissy fit and maybe Blaine would break up with you. I imagined him coming back to Dalton and he and I ruling the school together," Sebastian confessed. He shrugged. "But you were tougher than I thought. That slushie... Those stupid pictures of Finn... I was just so mad at everything and everyone. I figured the world owed me and I was going to take what I wanted by any means necessary."

Kurt decided he really shouldn't have asked. He felt his face burning scarlet and he wanted to crawl in a hole. Of course Bas wanted Blaine. Blaine was everything Kurt wasn't.

"What's wrong?" There was an unpleasant edge to Sebastian's voice, and Kurt flinched a little. "Jesus, Kurt. What did I say?"

"Nothing," Kurt said, forcing his head up. "It's fine." He tried for a smile but was pretty sure he didn't succeed.

Bas scoffed. "Now who's bullshitting? Do we need to text again?"

"No." Kurt straightened his shoulders and met the other boy's eyes. "I just should know better than to ask a question I'm not ready to hear the answer to. You want Blaine. You're putting up with me to have him, and that's-"

"Utter nonsense!" Bas nearly shouted, and the restaurant quieted for a moment with the outburst. When normal sounds resumed, Bas continued. "I just spent a very special day with you, Kurt. I did everything I could to make it good and enjoyable for you. Not Blaine."

Kurt frowned.

"Didn't you... Didn't you feel anything when you kissed me? I sure as hell did. Kurt, it's not just Blaine. It's definitely you, too. I like you. I find you incredibly attractive. I'm really looking forward to getting physical with both of you, okay?"

Kurt contemplated Sebastian, trying to determine if he was being honest or not. But while there was wariness in Bas's pretty green eyes, there wasn't any guile. The open, vulnerable version of Sebastian Smythe was the boy sitting across from him. Kurt nodded slowly.

Bas shook his head. "I don't think I ever expected you of all people to have insecurities."

"Everyone has insecurities."

~~Glee~~

They finished their meal more quietly than they'd started it, and went back out to the car with more than twenty minutes before they could go to Blaine's house. Sebastian drove them to a park a few minutes from there and pulled to the far end of the parking area where they had some cover of darkness.

"Can I help get you warmed up?" Bas asked, the white of his teeth glinting in the dim light from the dashboard.

"Just come here, you fool," Kurt replied. He desperately needed the reassurance of Sebastian's reaction to him, so he pulled the other boy's head toward him with a commanding tug to his neck. Bas went readily, eager to feel Kurt's lips again.

Starting out rather gentle, the kiss grew heated quickly. Exploring each other's mouths with their tongues, it wasn't an elegant kiss, but they met at the same level, and it felt intense. Bas gasped against Kurt's mouth, and he smirked in return.

Sebastian put his hand on Kurt's thigh, and Kurt's hips jerked. Bas chuckled, then gasped again when Kurt grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer, his mouth devouring Bas's.

The alarm Kurt had set on his phone went off way too soon, and he growled as he pulled back from the kissing to silence it. Then he remembered that in five minutes, Blaine would be involved, too, and he practically threw Bas's hand off his leg toward the gear shift.

"Get us to Blaine's house," Kurt ordered. Bas nodded mutely, his breath coming fast and his heart pounding. He obeyed.

Blaine opened the door before they could knock, grinning like mad, his face flushed, his excitement palpable. He hurried them up to his room and locked the door before he turned to Bas.

"So you're really okay with this?"

"How could I not be? I've wanted you since the first time I saw you, and Kurt has..." Sebastian looked at Kurt, who hung back a little, watching warily. "Kurt's fucking gorgeous, man. No way I'd refuse the chance to try this."

Kurt laughed, blushing, then stepped up to Blaine and kissed his cheek. "We're only going to a certain point tonight. Your dad is oblivious but he's not deaf."

"Of course. You call the shots. I trust you. Bas? That okay?"

"Yeah, I think I can trust you tonight."

Kurt quirked an eyebrow. "So my first call is for you two to kiss," he said, still standing close beside Blaine. Sebastian's eyes darted to Kurt's, then Blaine's, and back.

"That a challenge?"

"No, Bas. It's an offer. I know you want to kiss Blaine."

Bas nodded and looked at Blaine again. The beautiful caramel colored eyes he'd fallen for were kind and welcoming, glinting with excitement. Sebastian chuckled and bent down, brushing his lips against Blaine's, seeing his eyelashes flutter, then he closed his own eyes and went for it, kissing the boy exactly as he'd dreamed of for ages.

Blaine made a little whimper and swayed toward Sebastian, and that turned Kurt on like he'd never imagined. Sebastian was lost in giving Blaine his very best effort; teasing, deepening, then backing off. Kurt leaned up and sucked one of Bas's earlobes into his mouth while his hands skidded down both boys' backs to give their asses a squeeze. Blaine's butt was the rounded handful he was familiar with, and Sebastian's was smaller and tight. He groaned at the contrast and licked down Bas's neck.

Kissing Blaine while Kurt touched him was making Bas's knees go weak. His breath sped up, and he grabbed at Blaine's waist with one hand while groping blindly toward Kurt, who smiled against his neck and guided the grasping hand to Blaine's ass, replacing his grip. Sebastian moaned and swayed, so Kurt stepped behind him so the tall boy was sandwiched between them.

Bas finally broke away from Blaine's lips and twisted his body, seeking Kurt. Kissing Sebastian at the odd angle was awkward but still hot. He felt Blaine's hair brushing against their chins as the short boy attacked Bas's throat. Sebastian moaned into Kurt's mouth, which made him tremble in response.

The slow kisses, traded among all of them, grew in heat and desperation. Kurt tapped Blaine's fly, and Blaine caught his eye and nodded while Kurt started to unbutton the tall boy's jeans. Bas gasped Kurt's name, and Kurt ran his hand up and down his side.

"Trust me, my beautiful Bas. We'll take care of you," Kurt whispered to him. Sebastian relaxed. All Kurt did was unfasten his jeans and inch them down to his thighs. He left the dark boxer briefs Bas wore in place. Peeking over his shoulder, Kurt saw Blaine had followed his lead and kept his briefs on, too, the tighty whiteys making Kurt smile as they always did.

Blaine pressed against Bas, causing a choked off cry from the tall boy, and reached his arms around him to help Kurt with his own jeans. The sound of his zipper sliding down, and the wiggle of Kurt's hips as he and Blaine peeled his jeans past the swell of his ass had Bas shaking from head to toe. Blaine slid one arm tight around Sebastian's back, and the other encompassed Kurt, drawing the three tight together. Kurt hugged around them both as well, biting his lip at the pressure of his cock against the firm muscle of Bas's ass, trying to focus on taking care of the boy.

Releasing his lip from his teeth, Kurt instead ran his mouth across Bas's shoulder, dropping kisses up to his neck.

"It's okay, Sebastian. We've got you. We're here for you, with you. Just let go and feel. Kiss Blaine. Kiss your dream lover," Kurt murmured. Bas tilted his head down, and Blaine raised up and their lips met again.

"Kiss him, Bas. Kiss him like he's air and you're drowning," Kurt said, trying to engender the urgency he knew Blaine loved to feel in a kiss. Blaine's breathy moan told him Bas was doing just fine. Kurt thrust himself against the tall boy's back and bit his shoulder. Bas spasmed under the assault and Blaine's hand slid down and grabbed Kurt's ass, pulling them all tighter together.

"Jesus fuck, Blue Eyes, is that your cock?! God... Big boy was an understatement. Ohh... You're gonna be my first, Kurt. I want you to fuck me so hard I taste it-"

Kurt shuddered, humping harder against Sebastian. "Ohmygod..."

Blaine's groan drowned Bas out, and Kurt ducked under the middle boy's arm to get to his boyfriend. He latched onto Blaine's neck and murmured to him between sucks.

"You're gonna come, Blaine. You're gonna come rutting up against Bas while I come all up his back," he said. Blaine cried out affirmative, and Kurt felt him bucking against Bas, the thrusts echoing to his own cock, rubbing against the crack of Bas's ass.

"You guys gonna let me come too or are you just gonna use me as a fucking post?"

Kurt moved back and bit Sebastian's shoulder again. "I can feel you shivering, Bas. You're gonna come whether I tell you to or not, aren't you, my rebellious boy? You're gonna come with me humping your back like a cat in heat, dreaming of feeling me fill you up."

"Oh, Kurt! He's so hard for you. We both are. I'm getting so close..." Blaine moaned.

"Just give in, Bas. Feel it. Feel us both..." Kurt whispered. He put one hand around to grip Blaine's ass, sliding the other between them, up under Bas's shirt and fondling his chest, finding the hard nub of his nipple and rubbing it incessantly. Bas's voice rose in pitch. He had his hand on Blaine's ass, too, but he reached up to cup Kurt's head as the three of them writhed, giving in to being completely surrounded by beautiful boys who cared about him, who wanted him to just let go and feel good and let them take care of him. Tears leaked out of Bas's eyes. He'd never felt anything like it.

"Oh god! Kurt! Blaine! Yes!"

When Sebastian surrendered, obviously as into this whole scenario as both himself and Blaine, Kurt moaned ecstatically.

"Oh god, _Kurt_... Make that sound again and I'm gonna come," Bas said, his voice shaking. Blaine stiffened, burying his face in Sebastian's neck, crying out as he climaxed.

"Yes," Kurt hissed in response, and he sped up and pinched Bas's nipple.

"Ah!" Bas called. Kurt moaned again and both of them came, too, writhing, throbbing, clutching.

They clung to each other, sweating and shaking. Blaine was the first to pull back slightly, shucking his jeans, then tugging Bas's up over his hips so he wouldn't trip on them. Then he went for tissues and a wash cloth.

Kurt panted against Sebastian's back for a few moments longer, holding the tall boy. Bas's hands covered Kurt's where he had them tight against his chest, one under his shirt and one over it.

"You okay, Blue Eyes?" Bas asked quietly.

Kurt nodded and drew back, shuffling to Blaine's bed and dropping onto his back without pulling his jeans up. The wetness in his underwear was unpleasant, but very quickly Blaine was there, sopping up what he could with tissues, then blotting the come out with a damp cloth to keep them from getting even more gross as it dried. It barely registered to him that Blaine had done the same for Bas, who moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

As soon as they were as clean as they could reasonably get, Kurt spoke.

"You're too far away. C'mere," he mumbled, extending his arm and touching Bas's back where he slumped. At the touch he straightened and he turned around. Kurt and Blaine shifted up the bed, Blaine curling on his side with his head in Kurt's shoulder. They both looked welcoming, and Sebastian moved tentatively toward them, laying down on Kurt's other side, letting him put his arm around Bas and pull him closer. He ended up mirroring Blaine's position, looking across Kurt's chest into the warm gaze from Blaine's beautiful eyes.

"Thank you, Bas," Blaine said, reaching out to touch his face.

"I haven't done anything yet. Wait till I get to show you some real moves," Sebastian teased.

Kurt felt relief wash through him at the return of the Bas who teased and snarked. He hugged both boys.

"You've done plenty. You took a chance on us. You trusted us to hold you and support you and care for you. That's amazing considering where we were a few months ago," Blaine said, smiling.

But referencing the past was the wrong thing to do. Bas tensed and tried to shift away. Kurt held him tightly, though.

"Bas, we want you here with us. Please, believe me. Trust me," Kurt said. Bas stilled. He looked down, unable to meet either boy's eyes, but that caught the sight of Kurt's damp underwear, with his jeans still halfway down his thighs, and Blaine's completely bare legs, one casually hooked over Kurt's legs, almost touching Bas. He swallowed hard.

Raising his eyes, meeting Blaine's gentle look before getting caught by Kurt's crystalline blues, Bas nodded and some of the tension left his body.

"Where'd 'Blue Eyes' come from?" Blaine asked. Kurt nodded, curiosity and affection filling his expression.

"You sang Sinatra," Bas answered directly to Kurt.

"Oh!"

"You sang Sinatra?" Blaine asked, sounding excited.

"From Anything Goes; I Get a Kick Out of You," Kurt told Blaine.

"That's great! Ol' Blue Eyes! I love it," Blaine enthused. But Bas waited for Kurt's reaction.

Moving his hand up to stroke the back of Sebastian's neck, Kurt smiled softly. "I love it, too. Thank you."

Bas dropped his head back to Kurt's chest, smiling. Maybe he could have this. Maybe these two amazing boys would actually accept Bas with all his flaws and posturing, tearing down his walls so he could be the boy he never thought anyone could love. He relaxed completely and began to doze.

Blaine watched Sebastian and his heart soared with what he saw. He looked up at Kurt, who nodded that he'd seen the same thing; the real Sebastian Smythe.

Kurt's mind drifted, and he began to wonder if this could somehow become more than sex for all of them, or if maybe it already was.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Smuttiest of smutty chapters. The amount of orgasms in this chapter is made possible only by the ages of the participants. There's plot advancement, but it's sprinkled in amongst the sex._

Chapter Three

This Time

Finding time and privacy proved even harder with three boys than it did with two. Especially three boys who were all excellent students and involved in school activities, and one of whom lived an hour drive away from the others.

So their phones became their primary source of interaction, and if it wasn't as good as having two warm bodies snuggled up with him, at least it made Kurt feel wanted to constantly feel his phone buzzing with messages.

From Bas: dreamed last night that your moans became music and I woke to an aching melody

From Blaine: can I study at your house after glee tomorrow? Bas has lacrosse practice (we should go to one of his games)

From Bas: find myself humming Sinatra. Wonder why?

From Blaine: please tell me your dad is going out of town soon- mine's trying to give me 'quality time'

From Bas: I am a straight A student with no parent in country- tell me where and when and I will be there

And every night, they got on their phones to talk each other off.

"I think Kurt should tell us what to do," Blaine said during their first three way phone call.

Bas scoffed lightly. "Of course you do."

"You wanna try calling the shots instead?"

"...no. I don't know what you guys each like."

"It might be fun to try taking turns to direct, but I can go first if you want," Kurt offered.

"Oh, yes, please," Blaine begged. Kurt smiled and waited for Sebastian to agree.

"Yeah, that's fine."

"So, if we're going to have both hands to work with, do you have a headset, Bas?"

"Yeah, just a sec," he said, and the other two waited while he got it set up, already on their own headsets. They'd figured out that that's what worked best some time ago. "Okay, ready."

"Ready, like: you're naked on your bed, already hard, with lube and tissues ready?" Kurt teased.

"I am!" Blaine chimed in.

"Not, uh, not quite. That what you want?"

"Does imagining the two of us that way help you get there?"

"Hell yes."

"Then let us imagine you the same way, hmm? Get ready for us."

Bas's breath hitched at Kurt's wording and they listened again as Bas prepared.

"You're okay with this, right?" Blaine asked Kurt quietly.

"Ohmygod, yes. I'm so hard thinking of both of you..."

Blaine laughed, and Bas was soon back.

"Mmm... All that skin, both of you laid out. I wish I had two mouths so I could taste both of you at the same time," Kurt purred. "I want you to touch anyplace that I mention. I'd kiss you first, of course, on the lips, just dipping my tongue inside to tease you, but then I'd move to your neck before you could really get going kissing. You're both such fantastic kissers, mmm. All down your neck, with one hand on your hipbone, feeling how strong you are... Down your chest, right in the middle: you don't know which side I'll go to or if I'll dive straight down and suck you. Tease your nipples... Pinch them a little so they're nice and hard."

Sebastian groaned, and Kurt bit his lip at the sound.

"You like that, don't you, Bas? Are your nipples really sensitive or do you like it rough?"

"Oh god, Kurt!" Blaine gasped.

"Both, Blue Eyes. Tease them light, then get serious and give a good twist... _ngh_..."

"Like I did right before you came... Yeah, that's good... Blaine likes nipple play too. I can't wait to see you go to town on his. You could make him come from that. I have. You ever done that, Bas? Let someone tear the come out of you with just nipple play?"

"Oh _fuck_... No, you'd be the first."

"Think you could? Me and Blaine, one on each nipple?"

"I don't know, but I sure as hell wanna try!"

Blaine's breath was uneven and Kurt chuckled.

"You okay, sweetheart?"

"Please can we move on? I'm so _hard_ , Kurt..."

"Of course. I'm going to blow each of you sometime. I know exactly what Blaine likes... Slow, with suction, and teasing the head..."

Blaine gasped.

"But I look forward to figuring out what you like, Bas. Gonna lick you, root to tip, over and over... Cup your balls and taste your precome... Wrap my lips right around the crown and run my tongue around and around..."

"Close-" Blaine warned.

"What do you think, Bas? Let him come or make him wait?"

"Oh, shit, I- I'm okay if we all come. I'm not far off either. How about you, Kurt, are you hard and leaking, pulsing and ready to-"

"Ahh!" Blaine's low cry made the discussion moot, and Kurt giggled.

"Yeah... Oh Blaine... Yes, sweetheart... Do it, Bas, tell me how you like it; what are you doing to get there?"

"I'm-I'm stroking fast, squeezing at the-the tip... Oh, fuck..." Bas's voice was low and choppy and made Kurt whimper.

"Yeah, my dear Bas... Do it. Give me that come... Wanna taste it, want you to gush down my throat..."

" _Ungh_!" Bas grunted hard, and Kurt came, too, with that shuddery breath with just a thread of high voice to it, and Blaine gasped at how amazing it was to hear them both, to know the ecstasy they were experiencing.

"Yes, oh, yes... That's beautiful, so beautiful..." Blaine murmured.

They all just listened to each other breathe after that, calming.

"Okay, pause for cleanup," Kurt finally said. They returned to the line after they'd each taken care of themselves. "That was lovely, boys. Thank you," he said when they were all back.

"So...it's pretty free-form I guess," Sebastian said.

"Kinda like sex, Bas. You always led me to believe you had had plenty of that," Blaine commented.

The line was quiet for a few heartbeats.

"There's no way you're a virgin," Kurt said.

"No. But, I may have exaggerated my experience. A bit."

"Aw, Bas, that's okay," Blaine assured.

"We aren't going to judge you."

"Well, I _have_ done it internationally, so..."

Blaine and Kurt both got a short laugh from that. The silence following it was companionable. Bas found himself feeling warm and much more relaxed and happy than he had in a long time.

"Well, my boys, it's probably time to sign off."

Soft sighs met Kurt's decision, but they quickly murmured goodnight to each other and hung up.

~~Glee~~

The next night, Blaine had to go to some family function with his parents, and Kurt took advantage of having only Sebastian on the line to ask about something he hadn't brought up before but which had played on his mind.

"Have you really never bottomed?"

Bas was quiet on the line. "That a _problem_?" He asked, sounding stiff.

"Of course not! It's actually quite flattering that you want me to be your first."

"Wait-wait-wait: who said that?"

"Um, _you_ did. That night."

"Can't hold a guy to what he says in the throes of passion, babe," he said, a sneer in his voice. Kurt's face suffused with blood.

"Why are you getting weird and defensive?"

"Oh come on, now, Princess, don't get all hurt because I don't want to get ripped open by that huge dick," Sebastian snapped.

Kurt had to struggle not to hang up. "You're being an asshole," he said coldly.

"Yeah, well, this asshole's exit only."

"Damnit, Sebastian! I'm calling you out on your bullshit. You used that-that nickname, and I thought we were beyond that. Why are you trying to push me away?"

"Who says I'm pushing you away? Maybe I wanna fuck _your_ ass, huh? Bend you over and nail you good, listen to that girly voice go all supersonic and-"

"Stop it!" Kurt's voice did rise when he was upset, so he was shrill. "What the fuck, Sebastian?"

Bas stared across his room, hating himself. He bit his tongue, struggling with the part of him that knew he could push just a little harder and the pretty little bubble they'd been creating with this incredible three way relationship would pop and vanish and he'd be alone again as he deserved.

Kurt's eyes were swimming in tears that he refused to shed. He took a tremulous breath and got himself under control. "Bas... Please tell me what's going on," he said softly.

Sebastian jumped to his feet and started pacing. His breath came ragged and short, but he couldn't get any words of explanation out of his mouth.

"I'm not going to let you push me away. Whatever else there is with us and Blaine, I'm first and foremost your friend. I want to help, with whatever it is that's bothering you."

Bas groaned. He knew he didn't deserve the kindness Kurt was offering.

"I'm just going to stay on the line and keep talking, Bas. You jump in whenever you're ready. You aren't alone," Kurt said. He started rambling. "Did I tell you that I talked to Dave Karofsky the other day? I've tried to stay in touch with him, but he says he's not ready to be friends with me. I just want to be there for him. Anyway, he's in therapy and his doctor suggested he should call me and say some of the things he's been saying in his sessions. So he told me...he told me exactly what he was thinking when he tried... I'm not going to tell you all that, but he just wanted me to know that it wasn't all about me and how I rejected him. I guess I'm relieved about that, but it was really hard to hear how much he was hating himself that day. Kind of like it's hard feeling you try to piss me off by insulting me. I know that's not really about me either. I think you should get some counseling, Bas, I really do. You've got a lot of crap you need to work through, and I bet you'd do better letting it out on someone you're paying to listen rather than people who care about you and want to be intimate with you. I care about you, Bas. I don't want you to sabotage-"

"I'm sorry," Sebastian whispered. Kurt stopped talking and listened to the choking sounds his friend was making as he tried not to cry. Kurt cried for him, tears tracking silently down his cheeks.

"I forgive you," Kurt replied finally, his voice thick.

"You shouldn't."

"Yes I should. And I do. Bas... What happened?"

Sebastian pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. Opening up to anyone was dangerous, but somehow saying things to Kurt, knowing he'd take anything in stride (as long as it wasn't a cruel insult), made it easier.

"My mom called," he whispered.

"I have no idea what kind of relationship you have with her."

"Not much of one. She pays for everything."

"What did she say?"

"That she's gonna dump dad's life insurance money into my account."

"Is that all?"

"Pretty much. I..." Bas sank to the floor, leaning against his closet door with his knees to his chest. "I asked her when she's coming back." His voice cracked.

"And she's not."

"Yeah."

"Oh my sweet boy. I'm sorry." Kurt's heart broke for this 'oh so tough on the outside' boy. He was hiding such loneliness that it actually gave Kurt a physical ache in his chest.

"I don't know why I even asked."

"Because you've lost one parent and you need the other one. I know."

Sebastian felt like he'd been thrown naked into a snowbank. He stood up and started pacing. "Shit, Kurt, I'm sorry... This is awful to dump on you. You lost your mom-"

"And I have a better perspective on this than most people because of that. You can always talk to me about this. I'm not going to let you push me away."

"Kurt..." Sebastian's guts twisted, but he let himself be soothed. He sat down on his bed and tried not to cry.

"I'm here. It's okay. I'm right here."

That broke him. Bas felt tears he never, ever shed seep out from under his closed lids, but he refused to give in to the tight pain in his throat. They sat quietly for a while until Bas had himself back under control.

"I _do_ want you," Bas said finally. Kurt smiled.

"I know. I want you, too. When the time is right, it's going to be beautiful, Bas. I promise."

"I believe you."

And Kurt knew that was a statement tantamount to a declaration of trust and love, and tears spilled over again; tears of relief and warm affection.

~~Glee~~

When Blaine's parents finally had to go out of town on a weekend that synced up with free time for all of them, it didn't seem like they should feel shy because they'd had phone sex nearly every night, but they all had some nerves as they proceeded.

Kurt was preparing dinner in the well-appointed Anderson kitchen when Bas arrived. Blaine let him in and led him by the hand to where Kurt was mincing olives for a tapenade. Glancing up at them from the cutting board, Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Kiss hello already! We're all here together; I'm not going to freak out if you greet each other in accordance to the relationship we've been having these last few weeks. I'll join you as soon as I get this done and the sauce on," he said. Blaine and Bas had been standing in the doorway awkwardly holding hands with faces flushed and yearning expressions.

Permission granted, Bas turned and pressed Blaine against the entryway, bending to kiss him while his body pinned the shorter boy. Blaine gasped at the move, but rolled his hips against the thigh Sebastian planted between his legs. Their lips and tongues danced, and Kurt felt himself chubbing at the shaky groan from Bas. He forced himself to concentrate on getting the right ingredients into the right containers, working as quickly as he could. He washed his hands and dried them, then cleared his throat when he turned to the pair of writhing, humping, sexy boys. Their heads parted and they looked at him.

"I want my kiss hello too," he said, cocking an eyebrow. He opened his arms wide and encompassed both of them in his invitation. They rushed to him, Sebastian taking the first kiss while Blaine snuggled against them, watching.

Bas had a slight peppermint taste, and Kurt found it endearing that he'd obviously brushed his teeth before coming to meet them. He found himself seeking out the Bas taste beneath it, though, sucking the mint from his tongue to get there.

Sebastian locked his knees, ready to collapse from just Kurt's kiss. The power and confidence from the shorter boy was staggering.

"Oh, Kurt," Blaine whispered, leaning into him, grinding against his hip, wrapping his arms around Bas and Kurt both. "That's so _hot_..."

Kurt broke away, laughing a little at Blaine, his eyes dancing. Bas's were hooded as he straightened, but his cocky grin returned and he looked at Blaine.

"Damn, Blaine, you do love to watch, don't you?"

Blaine nodded enthusiastically and they all laughed together.

"So, you two can set the table. Food will be ready in twenty minutes."

They got through dinner with innuendo that kept them all at a simmer, then hurried upstairs to Blaine's room.

It was only moments before Bas was wrapped around Blaine, kissing him hard and desperate, and Kurt was again behind the tall boy, rutting against his ass, feeling lightheaded.

"Please," Blaine whimpered.

Kurt waited to see what Bas's response would be but felt him tense. He rubbed a hand down the long back before him. "What do you need, sweetheart?" Kurt asked Blaine.

"God! We should... Ohh... We should all come, take the edge off, so we can really relax and enjoy everything else," Blaine suggested. Kurt smiled.

"Bas...you wanna suck Blaine off?"

Sebastian froze, gasping. "Oh fuck yeah, Kurt."

"So do it, my beautiful boy. And try to concentrate on not biting him when you come from me jerking you off and finger-fucking your ass," Kurt smirked. Blaine laughed, but Sebastian just gaped over his shoulder. Kurt raised an eyebrow. "You have a better idea?"

"N-no," Bas stuttered.

"Good. Let's get naked!" Blaine enthused. Bas and Kurt laughed.

They all stripped down, except for Sebastian's t-shirt. "This stays on," he insisted. Kurt and Blaine exchanged a quick glance of understanding and agreed without comment.

Kurt's erection got Bas's attention for a long moment, until Kurt started to blush. Blaine moved up beside him, drawing Sebastian closer, too, and wrapped his fist around the base. Kurt shuddered.

"Bas... Touch me?" Kurt asked. Sebastian licked his lips and reached out tentatively. "It's just a cock, and I've heard you touching your own so I know you know what to do," Kurt teased gently.

"Let's lay down," Blaine suggested. Bas retracted his hand and nodded in relief. Kurt laid down and Blaine took the left side, figuring since they were all right handed he wanted Bas to have the most advantageous position.

"You remember when I first saw you?" Blaine asked Kurt affectionately, trying to break the tension. "I damn near locked myself in the bathroom. I mean, who'd expect a porn star dick on this sweet faced skinny countertenor?"

"Ohmygod, Blaine, don't call it that! That's disgusting," Kurt whined.

Blaine looked at Bas and stage whispered, "He's a freak of nature; he doesn't like porn."

That broke Sebastian's silence. He laughed and settled down beside Kurt. "How can you be a teenage boy and not like porn?"

"It's ridiculous! Those stupid setups and the way they talk... Don't even get me started on money shots."

Bas looked at Blaine. "He's not joking. Maybe when you're built like that," Blaine nodded to Kurt's flagging hard-on, "it doesn't hold the same appeal."

"What's wrong with money shots?" Sebastian asked.

"If I wanted to come in my hand I wouldn't be fucking!"

Blaine started giggling and couldn't stop.

"But...it's hot!" Bas sputtered. Kurt's eyes narrowed and he leaned close to Bas, speaking softly into his ear.

"When you top _me_ , I want to feel your cock throbbing inside me while you come. I want to milk that orgasm out of you until you can't. even. see."

Bas's cock hardened and he pressed against Kurt's thigh. "Okay, Blue Eyes, I'm willing to be convinced."

They kissed, long and dirty, with tongue and teeth and moans.

"God, I could get off just watching you two kiss like that," Blaine groaned.

Kurt grunted his agreement. "Getting off sounds good," he said against Bas's mouth. Blaine moved Sebastian's hand down to the head of Kurt's cock and gripped the lower part again. Bas took the hint.

Kurt had to break away from the kiss, gasping and whining at the incredible things Sebastian was doing with his hand. Somehow, his fingers moved in a wave, and his grip was rippling like Blaine's ass did when he came especially hard while Kurt was inside him.

"Fuck!" Kurt cried, shooting all over his chest. The other boys worked him through it, his body jerking, then finally relaxing like he'd just had a two hour massage rather than a two minute handjob.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Blaine asked Bas in awe. "He _never_ comes that fast."

Kurt slowly blinked his eyes open. "Oh, yeah. You've gotta teach us that."

"Why would I do that? You want my magic hand, you gotta be with _me_ ," Bas smirked.

"Now my handjob is gonna be a letdown for you, though," Kurt complained.

Sebastian looked at him in all seriousness. "I don't think you could ever be a letdown."

"Aww..." Blaine crooned. "You're so sweet, Bas."

Kurt barked a laugh at Blaine's comment, but his eyes were adoring as he kept them on Bas, who quirked an eyebrow and smiled. Then he glanced suggestively toward Blaine and back to Kurt.

"Sweetie," Kurt began, but Blaine was already reaching for tissues. He cleaned Kurt up and almost shyly did the same with Sebastian's hand.

"Alright my boys, it's your turn. Thank you for letting me go first," Kurt said politely. They all rearranged, Kurt wanting Bas to comfortably begin with Blaine before he joined in. Blaine drew Bas into a deep kiss, and Kurt used the time to grab the lube. When he turned back he took a moment to observe. He didn't feel as strongly as Blaine did about watching, but it was arousing and he didn't feel at all jealous. He thought what he felt was more affection than anything. His boys, looking beautiful together. He smiled and ran his hand up and down Bas's back. The tall boy arched into it like a cat, and Kurt happily repeated it a few times before he headed further down and cupped and stroked his ass.

Bas moaned and broke away from Blaine's mouth long enough to give Kurt a heated look over his shoulder. Kurt deliberately ran his fingers down the boy's crack and Bas shuddered, his mouth falling open.

"There you go, Bas. Open wide and make Blaine yell..." Kurt directed. Blaine whimpered, and Bas turned quickly back to him. Kissing Blaine again, Bas shifted down and peppered kisses and sucking, licking mouthfuls down his chest until he moved and knelt between his legs. Kurt licked his lips at the sight.

Sebastian's shirt rode up, and Kurt could see the faded bruises, along with a few white stripes of scars he hadn't seen before when he'd caught sight of Bas's skin. Mindful of Bas's self-consciousness, Kurt tugged the shirt down as he moved down the bed, straddling both boys' right legs to give himself the room to work Bas with both hands. But Bas tensed.

"I...um, I don't want you to..." Bas mumbled, speaking over his shoulder to Kurt but refusing to meet his eyes. Kurt ran a gentle hand up and down Sebastian's back.

"Okay. I understand. Can I give you a hand job? Play with your balls? Maybe rub your taint?" Kurt smiled as the tension eased from the muscles under his hand.

"Yeah, sure, all that's fine," Bas said. He smirked and looked straight at Kurt. "Show me what you got, Hummel."

The switch back to teasing challenge reassured Kurt more than anything else could have.

"Well I may not have your magic hand, but I'll do my best," Kurt said dryly. He cocked one eyebrow.

Blaine laughed. "If you two are done flirting, can I have my blowjob now?"

Sebastian turned back to the gorgeous boy in front of him. He'd fantasized so many times about having Blaine like this... Reaching up, he lowered himself on his arms to kiss Blaine. From the first time he had been shown a picture of the previous lead soloist of the Warblers, he'd wanted to mess up that perfect hair and ravish the plush lips, to grind on him until he was begging for Sebastian to let him come. Yeah, that was a good plan. Make Blaine beg. He shifted back down, heading right for where Blaine's dick was twitching and shining at the head with precome. Bypassing that temptation, Bas went for his balls, opening wide and taking his whole scrotum into his mouth.

"Oh fuck, Bas..." Kurt couldn't help exclaiming. There was so much bliss on the boy's face as his jaw moved side to side, obviously rolling Blaine's balls around his mouth. And Blaine was sweating with need. Already! "Jackpot, baby. Bas's got some _moves_..."

Sebastian chuckled, and the laughter apparently felt great to Blaine, who moaned.

"Bas! Oh, oh god... Please... My cock...oohhh-" Blaine's words devolved into a groan when Bas started rubbing behind his balls, and even back to his hole.

Kurt shook himself from the enjoyable show and moved closer to Bas, turning slightly so he wasn't touching him with his already chubbing cock, sliding his hand from Bas's back, to his side, then around to his stomach beneath the hem of his shirt. His skin was hot and smooth, his happy trail rather soft in comparison to Kurt's own or Blaine's. He stroked the fine hairs, teasing down into the coarser thatch of pubes, then back up. Bas shifted, obviously trying to get Kurt to move on to where he wanted him.

Bas finally released Blaine's balls, taking the saliva he left on them and slicking his fingers with it for a better glide back. He licked a narrow stripe up Blaine's erection, and Blaine bucked.

"Yes! Bas! Please!"

Kurt had a pretty good idea what Sebastian was doing to his boyfriend, and he teasingly tapped his fingertips around and up Bas's shaft, making him shiver.

Bas suspected what Kurt was doing: mirroring his actions on Blaine, so he went ahead and swallowed Blaine down, just to test the theory. Somehow, Kurt's hand was slick with lube when he grabbed him in a firm grip and stroked. He gasped around the hot mouthful of Blaine and choked a little, pulling off and coughing.

"Kurt..." Blaine complained.

"Sorry, sweetie. I figured the stud here could handle a little double action, but maybe I was wrong."

"Bring it, Blue Eyes," Bas said, grinning. "You just surprised me."

"Alright, then. Get back to it."

So he did. Bas reveled in getting to taste and feel Blaine, and hearing the sounds he was dragging out of his long time object of lust was heady. He almost wanted to laugh, though, as Kurt seemed to be making it a challenge as what he was doing with his hands was making him go cross-eyed. Jesus, was the hand on his dick _vibrating_? And the other was pulsing relentlessly against his prostate, Kurt's fingers massaging behind his balls so Sebastian knew he was going to geyser when he came. Part of him tried to figure out a way to get Kurt into his line of fire, but the two brain cells that weren't caught up in blowing Blaine or trying to stave off said orgasm apparently were needed for breathing, because he had no clue how to make that idea a reality. But those two brain cells had enough power to give him a visual in his imagination of what it would look like to come all over Kurt's beautiful skin, and suddenly he couldn't hold back anymore. He came hard, humping into Kurt's hand, shuddering and shouting, pulling off Blaine and burying his face in the boy's stomach instead, choking and dry sobbing through it as Kurt kept rubbing his prostate, forcing him to keep coming until he whimpered and tried to slap Kurt away. The dark chuckle that brought made his face burn, but he laughed shakily and eventually raised his head to look at Blaine.

"I think maybe we should just take turns double-teaming one of us at a time." He looked over his shoulder at Kurt, who sat back on his heels and grinned. "That was not fair to Blaine."

"Maybe not, but it was so fucking hot that I'm ready to go again," Kurt replied. He laid down next to Blaine and gave him an apologetic kiss. He put his hand down to give a light stroke to Blaine's impatient cock. "What do you think, baby; you want me inside you while he finishes sucking you off?"

Blaine's eyes bugged out and he yelped, his dick pulsing in Kurt's grip, which he quickly tightened to work the boy through his unexpected orgasm.

"Aw, what the-" Bas exclaimed. He watched as Blaine splattered his chest and glanced at Kurt, who looked chagrined.

"I think we're gonna have to work out a punishment for Kurt for that, don't you, Blaine?" Bas asked.

Blaine lay still, looking sated but vaguely exasperated as well. He nodded. "Definitely."

"But-"

"We each get another before you can come again," Blaine declared.

"But-"

"Seems fair to me!" Bas crowed.

"Well shit," Kurt finally conceded. Bas and Blaine looked at each other and laughed.

"And it's your turn on cleanup," Blaine said, grinning.

With a dramatic sigh, Kurt went for a washcloth. When he returned, he was tender as he carefully wiped each of them clean, though, enjoying the intimacy of that activity.

Bas and Blaine were stretched out on the bed side by side, and when Kurt came back from the bathroom after rinsing out the washcloth before he put it in Blaine's hamper, he shared a quick exchange of looks with Blaine, then laid down opposite him, curling close to Sebastian, resting his head on his shoulder and reaching across him to hold Blaine's hand. It was so nice to know each other well enough to not have to ask Blaine and reassure him about Kurt choosing to lay with Bas sandwiched between them. He looked into the beauty of Blaine's eyes and was taken, as he always was, by the open, kind, loving expression there. He loved the boy with all his heart, and he hoped Blaine could see that in his eyes as well.

He could. Blaine smiled and sighed happily, basking in the afterglow and loving how open and relaxed Kurt looked.

"I'm so glad you're here with us, Bas," Blaine said, still keeping eye contact with Kurt, who nodded and looked toward Sebastian. But Bas was staring at the ceiling with a frown.

"Bas?" Kurt said quietly.

Sebastian wasn't used to post-coital snuggling. The warmth of two bodies was as delicious as the lassitude in his muscles, but it felt strange, too. What did they expect from him? What would happen when this weird situation inevitably blew up? He'd exposed way more of himself to Blaine and Kurt than he ever had to anyone. They'd seen behind his walls. He was vulnerable.

They were going to hurt him.

"What, Princess? I'm not really into this whole love-fest you have going here. If you're waiting for me to change my mind and let you fuck me, let me reassure you I'm perfectly content to stay a top-"

Kurt sat up and turned his back, putting his feet on the floor but not walking away.

"Bas, what's going on? Where did that come from? You know Kurt doesn't like that nickname. Did you not...enjoy what we did? Is there something else you want?" Blaine was immediate in his concern, and Sebastian flinched away from the earnestness. But moving away from Blaine meant moving toward Kurt, and he could see Kurt's shoulders were rigid, the muscles of his back knotting. Bas sat up and moved to the end of the bed. "Bas, wait," Blaine pleaded.

Kurt stood and turned to Sebastian. He lifted his chin. "Calling bullshit. Why are you pushing us away?"

Kurt's voice was brittle and Bas could tell he'd wounded him. He swallowed hard and tried to look nonchalant. "What, are you guys always all cuddly and sappy after sex? Not sure if I'm all that interested if that's how it is."

"But it was great, Bas! What are you talking about? Were we smothering you?" Blaine sat up and crossed his legs, determined to figure this out.

"Yeah, _great_. You pop off with one stroke from his hand after I was sucking on you for ten minutes? I can tell I'm not really fitting in here," Bas snapped. Blaine recoiled and Kurt immediately moved right into Sebastian's face.

"Pick on me if you have to, Sebastian, but don't belittle Blaine. That's completely out of bounds. Now, are you going to tell us what's really going on, or are you going to be a big nelly bitch and hide yourself from us? Do we need to text?" Kurt's voice had become steel and Bas knew he was at the breaking point. He could sneer and insult and give up all of the warmth and friendship and affection he'd received from the couple before him, or he could trust that maybe he could keep this precious, beautiful thing going a little longer and confess his fear.

"What's happening here? Am I...am I just a plaything that you guys are gonna get tired of? Or some kind of charity case?" The words addressed his uncertainty, but his tone was acid. Understanding filled Kurt's eyes and Bas dropped his head in humiliation.

The bed creaked and suddenly Bas was enveloped in two sets of strong arms.

"Oh, Bas, my sweet boy. You're our friend," Kurt said.

"We care about you and we want to wrap you up in our love and hold you for as long as you want to be held," Blaine added.

"I-I don't do this. I don't get close, I don't care, I don't let people _see_ -" Bas whispered.

"I see _you_ , Sebastian Smythe. I see your bitchiness and the sweet boy behind it. I see your wit-" Kurt began.

"-and I see your gorgeous face and body that I want to do all kinds of sexy things with, and your kind heart that you try to hide that I want to snuggle with afterward."

"You wanna snuggle with just my heart? What kind of psycho are you?" Bas lamely teased Blaine with his voice quavering.

Kurt put his hand to Bas's cheek and turned him toward him, kissing him, pouring his heart into the gesture. Blaine felt Sebastian's legs wobble and he held him more firmly, smiling as he watched Kurt take him over.

"Let's lay back down. We need to cuddle you and kiss you until you're hard again and we can make you scream," Blaine said softly. Bas moaned into Kurt's mouth and Kurt laughed as he broke away. Double checking Bas's expression, Kurt urged him back to the bed to do just as Blaine suggested.

Kissing and whispering gentle nothings and praises, they didn't have too long to wait until Bas was hard again. Blaine and Kurt both moved down to lick and suck him, and while Kurt diligently respected Sebastian's reticence about penetration, Blaine had his finger back there, rubbing and rubbing until Bas's ass relaxed, then he gently worked just the tip in, taking over the blowjob while Kurt moved back up to kiss and whisper to the tall boy.

"Mm, Bas, that's it. You want it from Blaine, like this, don't you?" Kurt murmured. He nibbled Sebastian's neck and played with his nipples, watching and feeling how his head tossed. "You want Blaine fingering you while he sucks another come out of you, don't you?"

" _Ngh_! Kurt," Bas groaned, his body shaking. "Yeah, dreamed of Blaine's mouth..."

"He's good with it, isn't he? That tongue..."

Blaine curled his finger inside Sebastian and gave a hard suck and the boy locked up with a strangled cry.

"Yeah, Bas, come down his throat-"

But Blaine had a different idea. He kept the bleachy, thick come in his mouth and moved up to kiss Kurt, sharing it, making it sloppy so Bas could tell what he was doing. The groan from the spent boy made Blaine smile into the kiss with Kurt and finally break off to grin at him.

Blaine's hair was tousled, spit and semen shining on his lips and chin, and Kurt looked absolutely dazed by the come on his own lips as he stared at his boyfriend; Bas thought they'd never looked sexier.

"I want you to watch Kurt take me so you can see how good it is, Bas," Blaine said, laughing out loud when both the other boys moaned. He swiped at his face with the back of his hand then leaned in to kiss Sebastian. "Will you hold me and kiss me while he does it?" He requested almost shyly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you want, Blaine," Bas replied breathlessly. Kurt smiled.

"On your back, sweetie?" Kurt asked Blaine, who nodded.

Sinking into Blaine was like coming home. He didn't need a lot of prep, so it was only a short time of using his fingers to help with lubrication before he was there, inside, both their bodies shaking with it.

Kurt made love to Blaine with Bas curled tight to Blaine's side, the tall boy watching wide-eyed as Blaine fell apart under Kurt's tenderness. Every now and then, Kurt would look at Bas and smile as he languidly thrust into Blaine, making him shudder and moan. Sebastian was speechlessly enthralled.

Blaine let himself float in the sensations. Kurt felt fantastic, and having Bas so close he could feel the boy's breath on his cheek and the heat of his body so close was nearly overwhelming. He turned his head for a kiss, which Bas eagerly gave, then relaxed into the moments. He loved being possessed by Kurt, feeling him so deep inside him that it was like they were one body. When Kurt's rhythm stuttered and he sped up, his face scrunching in tension, Blaine shook and cried encouragement.

"Touch him, Bas," Kurt gasped. "Make him come for me."

Bas eagerly reached between them and fisted Blaine's straining cock. He rolled his fingers as he had with Kurt and Blaine shouted, writhing, pinned by Kurt, his orgasm pulsing out of him.

Kurt hunched and rammed forward in-in- _in_ , then threw back his head and came, his arms shaking, body trembling.

The long arch of Kurt's neck, with his face so red and twisted in ecstasy made Bas's stomach swoop and his chest tighten. For a moment he imagined being in Blaine's place beneath Kurt, filled so utterly with him, feeling that long dick pumping come into his ass while he watched the slim boy fall apart above him, unifying them into something more through the joy this couple seemed to take in sex; he blinked rapidly to stem the tears of longing that filled his eyes. He buried his face in Blaine's neck instead, kissing and softly licking the sweat there.

Kurt dropped to rest on Blaine's chest before he pulled out and rolled to the side. "Ohmygod, I love sex," Kurt mumbled, drawing a chuckle from Blaine and a sound of surprise from Bas.

It was Sebastian who went for another washcloth that time. He cleaned Kurt, then Blaine, biting his lip at how puffy and red Blaine's rim looked. It wasn't reassuring.

"It's good, Bas. So good. I swear," Blaine said softly when he saw the concerned look. Kurt looked over and exchanged glances with Blaine when Bas turned away to toss the washcloth toward the bathroom.

Blaine rolled away from Kurt so that Kurt could draw Bas into his arms between them when the boy returned.

"Bas... I want to tell you something. Blaine knows, even though we don't talk about it. But you're letting yourself be so open and vulnerable with us that I want to give a little something back," Kurt said.

"Okay," Bas said, frowning. It seemed strange to see Kurt so hesitant.

"The, um, the porn thing. It's not just the dumb, unrealistic setups and awful dialogue and stuff..."

Bas tilted his head. That wasn't at all where he'd expected the conversation to go.

"I watched some, when I was younger and it...it sort of messed me up."

Blaine's hand on his back steadied Kurt.

"I'm femme. I get that. My voice, the way I care about my style... Anyway, all the pictures and stuff that I saw had guys like me bottoming. All of them. Being used, made to cry and beg," he shuddered. "And the way they... Well, I'm sure you know. I couldn't ever imagine wanting someone to do those things to me. I figured I had to be a freak or something. Now, since Blaine and I became sexually active, I'm more confident. I know what I like, and I do like to bottom sometimes. But it's not often, and I feel really vulnerable when I do."

"You like to be in control. You told me that, and I've seen that with the sex we've had. I get it. I'm not-I don't expect to do that, Kurt."

"But I _want_ you to. At some point. I really do. But it's very... I have to know that I can trust you not to..."

"I understand. I'm trying. I'll keep trying, if you'll keep reminding me when I slip up." Sebastian rolled to face Kurt more fully and kissed him. "And... I am nervous, with your, um-" His lips twitched toward a smirk.

"Don't say it!"

"-porn star dick-"

Kurt groaned in frustration but had to laugh at Bas's expression, which was open and happy as his smirk evaporated.

"-but I want to try it. With you. If that's okay with Blaine...?"

Blaine kissed Bas's shoulder and rocked his hips into the other boy. He was already getting hard again.

"Yes, Bas, I really wanna watch you give Kurt your virginity," Blaine said earnestly. He thought it was wonderful to be with these two very guarded boys and be a part of them letting their defenses down.

"I'm not a virgin!"

"You've never bottomed," Kurt pointed out logically, with a twist of a smile.

"But-"

"Exactly! Your butt is virgin territory," Kurt interjected. Bas huffed, and Blaine laughed.

"You guys just can't quit giving each other a hard time, can you?" Blaine asked.

Kurt shifted closer, pressing his whole body, from chest to knees, against Bas, and grinned over his shoulder at Blaine. "I'm not quite ready to give Bas a hard time, but it won't be long..."

"Yeah it will! Long _and_ respectably thick, too," Sebastian supplied.

"Mm... Do you want it now? Today I mean?" Kurt asked after their laughter subsided.

Bas looked at Kurt for a long moment. Those china blue eyes were wide and guileless, and he felt as if they could see past every wall he'd ever built to hold people out as if they were glass. And the strength he'd seen from Kurt reassured him that he was safe being seen. The protectiveness Kurt showed for Blaine could extend to Bas, too, if he wanted. And just like that, he wanted. He wanted to to cared for and shielded by this powerful personality before him. To know what it felt like to be truly and finally safe. He swallowed hard and nodded.

Kurt watched in awe as Bas's defenses dropped. There was a sweet, perhaps even shy boy there behind those pretty green eyes, and Kurt was humbled to see it. He kissed Bas tenderly, and was reassured by the strength Blaine lent him with the hand firmly grounding him where it splayed on his back.

The time that Blaine and Kurt took carefully stretching Bas to get him ready for the experience allowed all three of them refraction. Taking turns fingering Sebastian and kissing him, the couple worked seamlessly as a unit, tumbling Bas into a level of arousal that had him mindlessly grunting and whining.

When Kurt finally, _finally_ rose up and looked at Bas with one eyebrow raised, asking wordlessly if he was ready, Sebastian nodded frantically and rolled his hips so his erection bumped Kurt's stomach, making him smile.

Condom.

More lube.

Kisses for Blaine and Sebastian, then a kiss between them while Kurt gently rubbed up and down the inside of Bas's thigh.

Blaine's breath caught as he held Sebastian's leg up, cradling it to his chest while Kurt lined up and pressed forward. Bas gasped and his head tossed, and Blaine kissed his face while Kurt inched in.

"Oh fuck, Blue Eyes... Ngh, that feels... Oh-oh! Good. God, so good. Fuck! More! Give it to me, damnit!"

Kurt's voice was tightly controlled but in his higher tone. "I am not going to hurt you, Bas."

"Too slow! You're killing me here!"

Blaine tried to soothe him, but Sebastian wriggled and tried to shove himself further onto Kurt's cock.

"Sebastian Smythe, settle down this instant!" Kurt snapped. Surprisingly, Bas did, a rather shocked expression on his face. Kurt gently bottomed out, and all three sighed.

"Oh god, that's amazing," Blaine breathed. He was craning his neck to look at where Kurt was buried in Bas's body.

"It _would_ be if he'd fucking _move_ ," Bas grumbled.

"Bas," Kurt's voice was serious. "Are you okay?"

Sebastian huffed but responded with sincerity. "Yes. You feel incredible. Not a twinge or anything. Now will you _please_ fuck me already?"

Kurt shook his head with a chuckle and drew back and sank in again carefully, shuddering at how good it felt. Bas's face screwed up and he arched his back.

"God! Yes, Kurt, please," he moaned.

Sharing a smile with Blaine, Kurt started a steady rhythm, enjoying Bas's reaction as well as Blaine's.

Sebastian had never imagined bottoming would feel like this. He didn't know how he'd ever existed without being stretched open, filled, and so close to Kurt... He turned his head and Blaine immediately kissed him, but he broke away when Kurt shifted and a wave of the most intense pleasure swamped him and he cried out, white sparks shooting through his abdomen and chest. It was like coming but not quite...

"Oh yes, Kurt, you've gotta make him make that sound again..." Blaine moaned, drawing closer to Bas.

Kurt angled himself and tried to duplicate the move that had given him that reaction.

"Aaahhh!" Bas's head rolled wantonly on his neck, his eyes shut tight, mouth open as he wordlessly vocalized his pleasure. The sensation radiated from his ass throughout his entire body. He was feeling it from his toes to the tips of his ears.

Blaine humped against Bas's body, turned on in the extreme by watching Kurt give him the perfect first time.

Kurt kept the angle and drove into Bas, reveling in the animalistic sounds he drew from him. It was amazing: like Kurt was playing an instrument to the level of a virtuoso. He felt like a god as he thrust and thrust.

Complete overload. Bas was transported. He was surrounded by the boys, Blaine rutting against his hip and panting encouragement in his ear, Kurt filling the emptiness in his soul. The world exploded and he sobbed and wailed as he came like he'd never felt before.

"Bas!" Kurt cried as he pulsed deep, his arms giving out as he fell, wrung out, spent so completely that he wasn't sure he'd ever get hard again.

Blaine moaned and added to the orgasmic aura, wrapping his arms around both of the other boys, holding them as close as he could.

Bas whimpered involuntarily when Kurt finally pushed himself up on spaghetti arms and he slid free from Bas's body. Blaine moved and got the condom off and wiped all of them down yet again.

"Are you alright, Bas?" Blaine asked as he pulled a blanket over all three of them and curled up to the tall boy.

"Mm. I..." Bas's voice trailed off.

"Did I fuck your brains out? Blaine, check his ears for gray matter," Kurt teased, his voice a hoarse mumble. Bas shook with a short laugh, then groaned.

"That's a better workout than crossfit," Bas replied.

"Yeah, for _me_ ," Kurt protested. "I did all the work. Twice!"

"Mmm, and we appreciate your efforts, don't we, Bas?" Blaine interrupted.

"Yeah. Yeah, that wasn't bad, Blue Eyes. Not bad at all."

"Gracious of you," Kurt snarked. Bas laughed and pulled him close for a kiss.

"You could have a career in deflowering virgins," Bas conceded.

"I'll take that as a compliment and let you shut up now," Kurt replied. Blaine met his eyes across the expanse of Bas's body, and they shared a long look that expressed their love and contentment before they relaxed and drifted in the post-coital haze.

When it was getting toward Kurt's curfew, they quietly separated and dressed. Kurt watched Bas surreptitiously for another vulnerability-inspired freakout, but he seemed genuinely relaxed, and as they all kissed each other goodnight and went their separate ways, Kurt was confident that things were going to be alright.

At least for now.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N This fic is AU, obviously, but I'm going to warn here that I pick and choose canon elements from here on. Having Sebastian in the mix would have changed things, and Sebastian being in a loving relationship would change things, and I didn't want to have to incorporate all the outside details about other characters and since the boys are my focus, that's what I decided to do. I hope you understand._

Chapter Four

Lift Us Up

"He did _what_?" Bas asked. He had been buried in school work for two weeks and the problems Blaine and Kurt were having were news to him. To have Kurt of all people: _Kurt_ , sobbing and barely coherent on the phone made Bas's head spin. "He broke up with you with a Whitney Houston song in glee club?"

"Everyone joined in! Even Rachel and Mercedes! They all hate me! Everyone always prefers B-Blaine over m-me!" Kurt could hardly choke the words out. "I thought they were my friends!"

"Stop being histrionic. _Calm the fuck down_ , Kurt. There's no way Blaine dumped you. Tell me what really happened," Bas snapped. He was on a deadline for a paper and had no experience dealing with a hysterical boyfriend.

"H-he found out I had been texting w-with a guy I met at Between the Sheets," Kurt stuttered.

"So? Were you exchanging dick pics or something?"

"Ohmygod Sebastian, this is serious! Blaine thinks I was ch-cheating on him but I _wasn't_! I was just texting!"

"That doesn't make any sense. Tell me what Blaine said," Bas huffed. The princess nickname was on the tip of his tongue, but he strangled it back because Kurt sounded truly upset.

"H-he hasn't been texting me, or-or really spending any time with me, and I met this guy and we exchanged phone numbers and he's been texting me these, um, these dumb pickup lines and stuff, and Blaine saw them and he said I was cheating but I wasn't! I wasn't cheating, Bas! I would never do that! And then he did 'It's Not Right But It's Okay', and-and-that's a breakup song! He broke up with me and now everyone thinks I'm a cheater and I'm _not_ and-"

"Jesus, Kurt, you McKinley kids are really into the drama, aren't you?"

Kurt started to babble again and Bas overrode him. "Stop!"

Kurt sniffled and waited for Bas to continue.

"Blaine adores you, Kurt. He'd do anything for you. Now, you said the other guy's texting you pickup lines. So that's flirting, Kurt. You've been flirting with another boy. It sounds like Blaine went overboard, but you were doing something that hurt him."

"But-"

"No! You hurt him, and he threw a drama queen fit and publicly humiliated you. It's not fair that he aired this out among your friends, and I use that term lightly because how could anyone who knows you take sides with only an accusation? But it's _Blaine_. He loves you, Kurt. You hurt him and he lashed out. He didn't tell you he doesn't want to see you anymore, did he?"

"N-not exactly..."

"So... Let him cool down and throw his drama right back at him. Make your statement. And in the meantime, just keep yourself busy, okay?"

"D-doing what?"

"Anything! Rearrange your closet. Go through your room and get rid of junk you don't need. Study. Whatever. Just do something that doesn't involve dragging me into the drama between you two. I told you I am swamped at school. I'll talk to you as soon as I get through this ridiculous stretch of projects and papers."

"You really think he didn't intend that to be the end of us?" Kurt asked in a small voice.

"I am damned good at breaking couples up by stealing a guy away from his boyfriend. Now, normally I just fuck him and leave him, but look: I did my level best to steal Blaine from you and he never budged. He's not dumping you over a text flirtation."

"Th-thank you, Bas."

"You're welcome. I'll call you when I'm free of academic hell, okay Blue Eyes?"

"Okay."

~~Glee~~

From Kurt to Bas: crisis averted. A serenade of 'I Have Nothing' and couples counseling with the guidance counselor and all is well again. Thanks for talking me down. School better let up soon- we miss you

From Bas: I could use some phone sex soon if you guys can make it happen late tonight

Kurt showed the text to Blaine, whose eyes lit up.

From Blaine to Bas: 11?

From Bas to Kurt and Blaine: Yes!

Blaine and Kurt watched a movie curled together before Blaine had to go home, but by unspoken agreement, they didn't do anything more than cuddle and kiss goodnight in favor of including Bas later that night.

All three laid in their respective bedrooms behind locked doors with headsets on and whatever accessories they had or wanted when their three way call connected that night.

"Thank you, Bas," Blaine began, after their greetings. "Kurt told me you made him understand what was going on."

"Yeah, yeah. I just don't want anything to upset this situation, man. Even like this, I'm having the best sex of my life with you guys."

Kurt sighed inwardly. He knew Bas wasn't in this just for the sex, but he let the boy keep up the façade, hoping he'd eventually admit that he needed Kurt and Blaine emotionally as much as they were growing to need him.

"So what do you need tonight, Bas? Quick and dirty so you can get to sleep, or do you want us to draw it out a little?" Kurt asked.

"Dealer's choice. I need some distraction _and_ I wanna get off hard."

"Can I use my plug, Kurt?" Blaine asked.

"If you describe exactly what you're doing, sure. It'll be a good way to start us out."

Bas closed his eyes and pictured Blaine's bedroom, the boy spread out naked on the bed, and his cock throbbed.

"It's my blue one. Not the biggest, but it has a remote control and different vibration settings," Blaine said breathlessly. "I'm getting it lubed up..."

Kurt shivered, knowing exactly which toy Blaine was using. It was one he'd tormented Blaine with, making him wear it out to the mall with Kurt in possession of the controller. "Shove it in fast, baby. Let Bas hear you moan with getting stretched and full in an instant."

Bas groaned as Blaine did as Kurt commanded. "Fuck," he whispered. Blaine was panting into the phone, and Bas imagined making the boy produce those sounds by sliding his own cock into him with little or no prep. He squeezed his cock, then reached for his lube.

"You want him, don't you, Bas?" Kurt asked. He ran his fingers around and around his nipples, flicking them lightly. "I think the next time we're together, if Blaine is okay with it, we're gonna double team you. What do you think of that? Me in your ass, with Blaine riding you? Feel his heat wrapped around you while I fill you up?" Kurt quickly squeezed some lube into his palm and started jacking himself. "Blaine, turn the control to the pulsing one."

Blaine shuddered and rolled onto his stomach, humping the bed, his voice muffled when the rhythmic vibrations began inside him. Kurt knew exactly how to drive him crazy. And that image, of riding Bas with Kurt inside him, moving all three together, not just one holding another while Kurt filled him... Blaine choked and whimpered. He was so close already.

"I always pictured Lucky Pierre with me bouncing between you. How... How are you seeing it, Blue Eyes?" Bas asked. He stroked himself at an even pace, not wanting to be the first to come.

"You're on your back, Bas, at the foot of the bed. I'm standing, with your legs up on my shoulders. I'm sliding in and out really slowly, and Blaine's climbing on top of you. I get to watch as you sink into his beautiful ass, and you can see us both above you, making all the effort, your ass full, your cock buried in Blaine's heat, him flushed and panting..."

"Oh...oh fuck..." Bas stopped stroking, a heartbeat from climax. Blaine whined.

"Kurt... Please..." Blaine begged. Kurt's hand blurred on his own erection, and he trembled as the heat built inside him.

"Yes, baby... Come for us..." Kurt gasped. "Bas, my sweet boy... Ngh... Your ass... Bl-Blaine is so-oh! Bas! Let me hear you!"

"Mmph! K-kurt- Blaine! Fuck, yeah, yeahyeah... Oh!" Bas rippled his hand on his cock, milking his orgasm.

Blaine's shout was garbled by his suppression against his pillow, but both boys clearly heard Kurt's high, breathy shudder as he finished.

They all breathed heavily, Blaine rolling back over to sprawl like a starfish.

"Tell me we get to do that. As soon as possible," Bas demanded when he had calmed down.

"My boy, we've been fantasizing about that since before we started this," Kurt giggled. Bas's eyebrows shot up.

"I'm in. I'm totally in," Blaine added.

~~Glee~~

"Why on earth would you want to invite Sebastian Smythe to our anti-prom?!" Rachel shouted. Kurt recoiled and set his jaw. Anti-prom was a great idea. There was no way he wanted to go to another formal dance with the small-minded, cruel idiots who had elected him junior prom queen the year before. And if it was an anti-prom, he should be allowed to have two dates if he wanted to. Except Rachel couldn't see how Bas could be date material. Maybe he needed to talk to her about how that relationship was evolving, or at least he could have mentioned how there was any relationship there at all.

"Because he happens to have become my-friend, and Blaine's as well. We'd like to spend prom night with our friends, including Bas."

"How could you even... After everything he's done!"

"Kurt, I told you she wouldn't understand-" Blaine said, trying to draw Kurt away from the very loud, very public confrontation in the cafeteria. With how much of an outsider Kurt was already at school, people didn't need more fodder for the cruel rumor mill. But Kurt shook him off, looking down his nose at Rachel.

"Some of us are capable of forgiveness, Rachel Berry!"

"Well I think you're too quick to forgive! First Karofsky, now Sebastian?! Is it some kind of gay sympathy thing?"

Kurt froze, controlling himself only by becoming like a statue. He had almost slapped his best friend. He turned and stormed out, Blaine right by his side.

"I cannot believe she said that," Kurt muttered through stiff lips and a tight jaw.

"I know. I'm sorry, sweetheart. You didn't tell him about anti-prom yet, did you? I'd hate to have him feel left out..."

"No. I hadn't said anything yet," Kurt replied sullenly. He sighed. "I _miss_ him. It's been too long." Blaine snickered at the comment. "What?" Kurt snapped. He felt raw and exposed and he really did miss the easy banter and spark with Bas.

"For someone you loathed a couple of months ago, you've really grown quite attached."

That hit Kurt like a bucket of ice water and he stopped Blaine. "You're not jealous, are you? Or worried, or-"

"No! I love having this relationship the way we do. It's good for him, and it's good for you... I like spending time with you guys, and the sex is completely amazing..."

"Okay. I just... I don't want you to feel like Bas is getting in the way of _us_ , you know?"

"Kurt... We have so much love to give. I like sharing it with Bas. Remember, I'm the one who's been friends with him from the beginning."

"You saw what I couldn't. I'm glad you did, sweetie. I'm sorry my jealousy delayed us trying this." Kurt stopped at his locker and spun the lock, quickly entering the combination by rote and opening it.

"Everything is just how it should be," Blaine reassured, leaning next to Kurt and watching him.

"Except we never get to see him," Kurt grumbled. His eyes caught on the photos decorating his locker. He needed to get a picture of Sebastian in there. Not a Dalton formal picture... Maybe Kurt could take one with Bas all sex rumpled, his hair a mess and his eyes all open and vulnerable. Nope. No way he'd let anyone but Blaine see a pic like that.

"We'll figure something out," Blaine said as Kurt slammed the door and re-locked it. Kurt nodded, distracted by his thoughts of Sebastian with sexy bed head.

But with the pressure of Kurt's NYADA callback and preparing for Nationals, which included the dastardly Coach Sylvester trying to get Kurt to cross dress, they didn't have time for more than a few phone calls for some time after that.

"I thought your faculty adviser for your glee club was supportive of his students," Bas snapped when they made time to talk on one afternoon, with Kurt and Blaine in Kurt's bedroom, Kurt's phone on speaker.

"He is! It's just..." Blaine tried to defend Mr Schue, but the set of Kurt's jaw where he sat beside him made his voice trail off. "Kurt?"

"Mr Schue is... _selectively_ supportive. He announced a 'zero tolerance for violence' when Mike and Artie wanted to go after you, Sebastian, but when I was going home every day with bruises from the jocks, he only ever did anything one time, and that was when it had escalated so badly that I actually feared for my life. Coach Sylvester is bullying me _daily_ about this drag thing, and he hasn't said a word in my defense," Kurt said, his eyes holding a faraway look. "I'm grateful for what glee club has done for me, but Mr Schuester hasn't exactly been the paragon of kindness and support for me the way he has been with some of the others," he admitted quietly.

"Kurt..." Bas's voice was a hoarse whisper.

Blaine put his hand on Kurt's back. He wondered how he'd never realized that while glee club was an improvement over the loneliness Kurt had experienced without it, it still fell well short making the kind of difference in Kurt's life that he deserved.

"Sometimes I wonder if that's why I don't get solos. I don't fit into Mr Schue's re-creation of his glory days..."

"Well he's a fucking idiot. I'll admit Rachel has a highly trained, very good voice, but the singularity of your voice and ability could catapult your club beyond anything Vocal Adrenaline has ever done."

"Unique-" Kurt tried to interrupt, bringing up the rival show choir's transgender lead soloist.

"Is special in her own right, sure, but your range, with how ethereal you look with your perfect skin and your big eyes... Kurt, you're _amazing_."

Kurt's mouth dropped open and Blaine smiled at the reaction. He could see how moved Kurt was by Bas's words. Blaine warmed with affection: Sebastian was so good for Kurt.

"You've made him speechless. Congratulations, that's hard to do, Bas," Blaine said into his phone and smiling happily.

"Ethereal?" Kurt asked, his voice breathy. He'd been called cute, even beautiful, and pretty, but the word Bas had used evoked something beyond any of those.

"I'm not saying you're not strong, Kurt. You're resilient and powerful, and I've never known anyone with your strength of character. Please-" Bas hurried to elaborate, thinking he'd hurt Kurt's feelings.

"Thank you, Sebastian," Kurt interrupted. "That's...that's an amazing thing for you to say."

"Oh. Well." Bas felt his face heating. "It's true. So Schue is a moron. Um, but you guys are getting ready for Nationals, and even if she's going about it badly, at least the dragon lady understands you're their best shot."

Kurt bit his lip and jumped when Blaine touched his back. He looked at Blaine and smiled apologetically.

"I think Blaine and I could win Nationals for New Directions together," he said.

"I would love to hear you two together," Bas replied softly.

"All three of us!" Blaine enthused. "We should do a number! What could we do? Katy Perry has-"

"Nope! If we're gonna sing together as three guys we should do a boy band song," Bas argued.

"You like your boy bands as much as Blaine likes pop, don't you?" Kurt teased.

"Do you have a preference?" Bas asked.

"I'm partial to big Broadway show tunes," Kurt admitted, cringing slightly with fear that Bas would take a cruel shot at him.

"Can you think of anything for three guys?" Bas asked. Kurt relaxed.

"Aw, why don't we each choose one? We have all summer," Blaine suggested.

Kurt smiled at him. "I like that idea."

"Um..." Bas hesitated.

"What is it?" Kurt asked, his voice a little sharp.

"I may have to go to Europe for part of the summer," Bas clarified.

"I have to go to Michigan for a couple weeks, too. Traditional family vacation," Blaine said.

"Bas, if you have any say in when you go, you could try to go over the same period Blaine does so we'll have more time all three of us," Kurt suggested.

"But we can't leave you alone!" Bas exclaimed. Kurt's jaw dropped again at the protectiveness in Sebastian's voice.

"I think I can handle a couple of weeks hanging out with my girlfriends," Kurt replied. "I usually pick up hours at my dad's shop, too," he added. "I need to save all the money I can for New York in the fall."

It didn't sit well with Bas, though. It felt wrong to consider leaving Kurt alone in Ohio while both he and Blaine went on vacation.

"Maybe you could tag along with one of us," Sebastian said.

Kurt tensed. Blaine cleared his throat but didn't say anything, knowing Kurt was self-conscious of not being as wealthy as either of the other boys.

"I told you my mom put my dad's life insurance into my accounts, right? You should help me give him the finger and travel on his dime," Bas said.

"I don't think my dad would be all that thrilled with me jetting off to Europe with no chaperone," Kurt said.

"You're eighteen; besides, we'll be seeing my family! My trips to Europe are ostensibly to spend time with my mom, but I usually end up hanging out in France with my aunt and cousins. Sometimes my grandparents are there, too. It's their estate."

"Kurt?" A voice called from the top of the stairs. Blaine and Kurt exchanged a look.

"My dad's calling me. I'll be right back," Kurt told Bas. He handed his phone to Blaine and nodded that they should keep talking, going into the hall to find out what his father wanted.

Blaine took the phone off speaker and brought it to his ear, dropping his voice to try to avoid Kurt hearing him. "Bas, I love the idea, but it'll be an uphill battle to convince Kurt. Neither one of us is loaded like you, especially him. Even going part of the year at Dalton was a struggle for his family, okay?" He hurried to explain to Bas.

"But imagine taking him shopping in Paris! And the estate is in Provence... It's so beautiful, Blaine! The horses, and driving down to the coast-"

"I've never been, either, and I get it! It sounds amazing. I'm just warning you it would be tough to figure out how to get him to go."

Bas nodded. "Convincing him of anything can be tough. Maybe I'll try after you guys get back from Nationals."

"I'll do what I can to help, but I don't know if we'll be able to get him to agree."

Kurt returned and they had to get off the phone to spend time with his family.

"Talk to you later, Bas," Kurt said.

~~Glee~~

That evening before Blaine went home, the boys sat on the front porch saying goodnight and Blaine brought up something from their conversation with Sebastian that had made him think.

"You know, I'm really happy we have Bas. You know how worried I've been about being alone with you leaving for NYADA in the fall. It'll be better this way. Now I won't be alone," Blaine said, all earnestly eager, oblivious to the stone that settled heavy in Kurt's gut. "It'll be like part of you is still here, because you two are so much alike in so many ways."

"My heart," Kurt said, his voice a garbled mess of his normal clear tones. Blaine seemed to realize that the other boy wasn't okay.

"What?" Blaine asked softly, putting his hand on Kurt's back. The whites of Kurt's eyes were visible all the way around.

"I'll be leaving my heart here," Kurt whispered.

"Ah," Blaine breathed. He wrapped Kurt up in his arms. "I'm sorry sweetheart. I got caught up in myself. I wasn't thinking of you going to New York with both of your boyfriends still here," Blaine confessed. He'd always thought of Kurt as the strong, bold one; fearlessly going to the city to conquer it and finally win the accolades that he so deserved. Blaine hadn't considered how lonely it might be for Kurt.

Kurt let Blaine soothe him, because he couldn't speak his biggest fear; that with him gone, Bas and Blaine would become a couple and not need or want him anymore.

When Bas came by Blaine's house where Kurt was helping him pick out what to wear on the trip to Nationals, Bas's eyes lasered in on Kurt and laid him bare when the separation came up again. Kurt saw the look and deliberately turned away. Bas gestured Blaine to flank Kurt and they both put an arm around him.

"Blue Eyes, you're the boss here. You'll be the boss from New York, too. The only way this thing with us works is all three of us. I know I challenge you, but you're essential. Think how hot it will be with you directing us via Skype," Bas said dismissively. Strangely, it did reassure Kurt.

"Kurt... Were you worried that Bas and I would..."

"Hello, Captain Clueless," Bas interrupted. "Of course he's concerned we're gonna get all couple-y without him here to fuck us both senseless. We're gonna be missing him and his fabulous cock so bad... But Blaine's little dick-"

"Hey!"

"-ain't gonna cut it, Kurt. I'm all yours, and Blaine's so gaga in love he wouldn't dare get with anyone else, would you, Blainers?"

"Kurt, you're my everything. I wouldn't ever do anything to jeopardize what we have."

Kurt choked, trying not to cry. He finally buried his face in Blaine's neck, grabbing and holding Sebastian's hand.

"Thank you. I may need to hear that a lot," Kurt whispered to them. Then he addressed just Blaine. "Your dick isn't little, honey. You're average. And Bas has barely an inch on you so he can't talk."

With that, they all three burst out laughing.

Bas left for lacrosse practice, and Kurt headed back to Lima to pick up his dry cleaning so he could finish packing as well.

That evening, Blaine ran to Dalton to drop Trent's birthday gift in his dorm room. He was disappointed that he'd missed the boy, but happy to be at the school where he could surprise Bas with a visit. He found the tall boy reading on a bench outside the dormitory in the courtyard.

"Surprise!" Blaine exclaimed, hopping over the bench into Sebastian's view.

"Hey, Blaine," Bas drawled. His tone and expression were stiff and guarded and Blaine frowned to see it. It was chillingly reminiscent of how Bas used to be. "Where's your boyfriend?"

"He's not just _my_ boyfriend. He's your boyfriend, too," Blaine said to Bas, feeling defensive. The tall boy looked uncomfortable, glancing around to see who was nearby. They were alone and he relaxed marginally.

Sebastian had been replaying the threesome's earlier conversation and feeling worse and worse about the idea of Kurt going away.

"Then what are _we_?" Bas snapped, gesturing between them.

"You and me? We're..." Blaine had no idea where Bas's hostility was coming from.

"We have sex with each other, too."

"But a relationship... Bas, it's about more than sex."

"But that's all I am. I'm like a prop or a toy. You guys have sex when I'm not there, so that makes when I am with you nothing more than-"

"We don't, actually. We haven't for months."

"I...what?" Bas's blood ran cold, then a flush crept over his cheeks.

"Kurt and I have had opportunities to have sex, but we snuggled and stuff instead. Even on our 'First Makeout Session Anniversary', we just watched Moulin Rouge and kissed goodnight after." Blaine was trying to be reassuring.

"What did he say?"

"We didn't really talk about it, it just felt right to wait."

Bas got up. "I-I've gotta go."

Blaine watched him stalk off, feeling like he'd just been slapped. He felt guilty, unsure what he'd said to make Sebastian feel bad, but feeling completely rejected by the boy at the same time.

Later, Bas's phone rang with Kurt's ringtone. "Hey."

"What did you do to make Blaine cry?" Kurt demanded.

"Kurt..."

"Damnit, Sebastian, I told you that he was off limits. I can handle your freak outs, but Blaine-"

"Nothing! He just-he told me that, uh, you guys haven't fucked without me in months, and I-I just don't know what to do with that, okay?"

Kurt huffed in exasperation. "First of all, we don't _fuck_. I hate the connotation of that. And secondly, why should that bother you?"

Bas's breath caught. Feelings and vulnerabilities swirled in him, and he didn't know what to say.

"Bas?"

"I don't..."

Kurt sighed. "I care about you. I don't consider what we do all together to be fucking, either."

"He said that he's your boyfriend and...that so am I."

"Is that not alright with you?" Kurt held his breath. Maybe they weren't all on the same page.

"But, he couldn't define what he and I are."

"Oh, Bas. You really need your concrete labels and reassurances, don't you? Let's get together and talk; all three of us. I know what I think about us, but I'm not going to unilaterally define us without input from both of you. Will you be okay until tomorrow morning? We'll meet at the Lima Bean before school, okay?"

Talking about their feelings and trying to define their relationship was harder than Kurt had thought it would be. Bas sat still, his perfect diction and posture a dead giveaway of his discomfort, and Blaine eyed him warily, obviously not wanting to have his feelings hurt again.

"I care about you both," Kurt finally said. "I enjoy the intimacy we share, and I know myself well enough to know that I wouldn't be able to do those things if I didn't have strong feelings."

"I care about you, too, Bas. I like what we have together," Blaine said softly.

"If I'm just there for the fu- _intimate_ times, it's like that's all I'm good for," Bas mumbled.

"No. No!" Kurt exclaimed. He understood what Bas was worried about now. "You're part of us, now. Not just for the physical side of things. I came to _you_ when I thought Blaine had broken up with me. You, Bas, not my _friends_." Kurt's voice was cold as he recalled how readily everyone in glee had backed Blaine in that horrible misunderstanding. "I came to my boyfriend."

"Wait, you thought I broke up with you?" Blaine exclaimed. His face paled and he turned to Kurt.

"You publicly humiliated him and got everyone in glee to turn against him: what did you think he was gonna think?" Bas scoffed. Blaine stared at Kurt, who went red-faced and looked down at his coffee studiously.

"I didn't... You... Oh, Kurt, I'm so sorry!" Blaine was in agony. He'd lost his temper with the threat from Chandler but he hadn't realized just how much he'd hurt Kurt with his expression of that in song.

"And if everyone else who shamed him apologized, too, maybe that would mean something-"

Blaine blanched even more. Everyone in glee _had_ backed him. They'd picked sides with Blaine, the newcomer, over Kurt, who was doggedly loyal and desperately needed the support from them. Tears filled Blaine's eyes

"Bas!" Kurt snapped. "It _does_ mean something. I hurt Blaine, he hurt me, and we've moved past this. I just was trying to tell you that I definitely think of you as more than a friend. You're a part of this relationship along with me and Blaine. I want to make this...trio of ours official in all our minds, and exclusive. I would be really hurt if you dated outside of Blaine and me, but we've never discussed _your_ level of commitment. Is that what you want, Bas?"

Blaine's mind was still reeling from the way Bas had described the whole Whitney Houston dueling serenades, but he focused back on Bas.

"I want you to feel like you're my boyfriend and Kurt's boyfriend, too, Bas. I want the three of us to be exclusive."

"I..." Sebastian felt himself blushing. "I've never had an exclusive relationship," he admitted. Kurt put his hand on Bas's knee, and they looked at each other.

"Will you try it?"

Bas was nodding before Kurt finished speaking, and Kurt smiled hugely in relief. Blaine bounced in his seat and grabbed Bas's hand and squeezed it. It was okay. Everything was okay again.

"I'm so glad! I really want to try that double team position!"

Kurt and Bas laughed at Blaine's unbridled enthusiasm.

"Unfortunately, I have to get back to Westerville," Bas said. Blaine's face fell.

"Bas, are you feeling better? Is this clearly defined enough for you?" Kurt asked.

"It's...it's as much as I can deal with right now, anyway, Blue Eyes," Bas replied.

They went outside together, and Kurt drew them over to the far side of his Navigator where they were less visible. Then he kept ahold of Blaine's hand while he pulled Bas close and kissed him. He felt the light shiver that went through the tall boy and enjoyed a long sensuous moment with him before he stepped back and encouraged Blaine and Bas to embrace as well.

"So, are you okay being my boyfriend, too? Yesterday-"

"Yes, Blaine. I feel pretty damn good to have snagged not one but two hotties as my inaugural exclusive relationship, so..."

Kurt laughed, and Bas felt warm to his toes at the light, trilling sound.

"Okay, you two. We'll talk tonight and make our plan for trying out that position, alright?"

Bas agreed and headed to the Porsche while Blaine and Kurt climbed into the Nav.

"I'm glad you're happy, making things right with Bas," Blaine said as Kurt drove them to school.

"You're happy, too, right?"

"Yes. Definitely."

~~Glee~~

It was the end of the school year, and even after the triumphant return from Nationals with New Directions, Kurt's impending graduation and all the chaos surrounding it meant they didn't have the chance to get together again until after that when one of them was in emotional need so great that thoughts of trying new sex positions weren't on any of their minds.

Blaine's urgent text to Bas for a meeting at the Lima Bean was cause enough for him to speed getting there, and he sat down quickly with his boyfriends the moment he arrived, not even bothering to get a coffee.

"I didn't get into NYADA," Kurt whispered, unable to say the words in his normal voice.

"What the fuck is wrong with them?!" Bas shouted. "You told me what she said at your audition! That you fucking rocked it! Why would she then reject you? It doesn't make any sense at all!"

Blaine hushed Sebastian, looking around as people in the Lima Bean stared. Kurt just gazed into his coffee, oblivious. He'd been walking around in a trance ever since he found out.

"Please, Bas, Kurt's going to apply to work here, would you just be quiet?" Blaine pleaded. Bas dropped into his seat and watched Kurt. A minute passed, with none of them speaking, and Bas rose again.

"Get up. We're going. _Now_ ," he snapped, then walked toward the door without waiting for them.

Blaine got Kurt to stand and they met Bas in the parking lot.

"Follow me," Bas ordered, and got into his Porsche, starting it and revving the engine impatiently. Blaine put Kurt in the passenger seat of his car and got set to do as Bas said.

They drove to an apartment building in Columbus, and silently, Bas brought them up to the beautiful penthouse unit.

"Wh-what is this?" Kurt asked, rousing from his stupor at the unusual surrounding.

"My dad's place. They're gonna sell it, but it's not on the market yet."

"Is this where you stayed when you weren't at school?" Blaine asked.

"Only when I couldn't find anywhere else to go. Son of a bitch hit me nearly every day when I was here," Bas snapped.

The obvious upset this place caused Bas brought Kurt further out from his funk. He went to the tall boy.

"We don't have to be here, Bas," Kurt said, taking his hand. Anything that hurt Sebastian, who'd already suffered so much, wasn't what Kurt wanted.

"No one hears anything, no matter how loud you get here. You can throw your biggest bitch fit, Kurt, you can trash this place and scream and no one will call the cops or anything," Bas replied, trying to get Kurt to snap out of the funk he was in.

Kurt closed his eyes, understanding how Bas knew that it was safe to be noisy here. How many times had Sebastian's father beaten him here, making him shout or scream in pain, and no one heard, no one helped? It was horrible.

"Bas, let's go. You never have to be here again. Let the estate people get rid of this place," Kurt told him, tugging on his hand, trying to get him to leave.

"Kurt, I brought you here so you could vent! Come on, let's smash all the china in the kitchen. Let's tear this place apart! What they did isn't fair. Let's blow off some steam!"

"Bas... If _you_ need to do that, then you should. I don't."

"But she fucked you over, Kurt! She told you that you were great and then rejected you! That two-faced _bitch_ -" Bas reached for a vase on the kitchen island and raised it above his head. Kurt grabbed his arm.

"Don't do this for me, Sebastian. If you need to vent, you do it for everything that ever happened to you in this apartment, but don't do it on my behalf."

Bas lowered the vase. "But-"

"No. Not for me. Bas, if I'm not good enough to get into that school, there's no way I'm good enough to be on Broadway, and it's better I learn that now than later," Kurt said softly.

"Kurt! No!" Blaine cried. He ran to his boyfriend. He'd hung back by the door while Sebastian had tried to draw Kurt out, but hearing Kurt express defeat spurred him to action. "That's not what this means! You're just as talented as Rachel. You deserve to be on Broadway! You're going to make it. I know you are!"

Kurt took Blaine's hand without looking, keeping his focus on Bas, who searched Kurt's eyes and finally set the vase down with a sigh. The tall boy wrapped his arms around Kurt, drawing Blaine closer, too, so they were enveloping Kurt.

"They're so stupid, Blue Eyes. You're gonna be a star, and they're gonna regret not snapping you up first shot," Bas said softly.

"Thank you, my sweet boy."

Blaine kissed the back of Kurt's neck and murmured his love, and Kurt inclined his head against Blaine's.

"Can we make love to you?" Blaine asked quietly. Kurt sniffled and nodded, and Bas led them to the big platform sofa in the living room.

They sat down, and Bas pulled Kurt onto his lap with Blaine snuggling next to them.

"Don't want you thinking about anything but this, us, now," Blaine whispered, leaning in and kissing Kurt's neck.

"Gonna make you feel so good, Blue Eyes," Bas said, sliding his hand up and down Kurt's side and running his other in between his legs to palm his groin. Kurt sighed and squirmed at the very forward, intimate gesture.

"Just let go, Kurt. Let us take care of you," Blaine said softly.

Kurt tried. He let his head drop onto Bas's shoulder, shivering as Blaine traced the length of his throat with his lips and tongue. Bas's fingers slowly unzipped his fly, and Kurt felt himself hardening. But his mind kept swirling with the thoughts that had been plaguing him since the moment he opened the letter that had shattered the future he'd been planning. He tensed again with his worries.

"Uh-uh, Kurt. You're thinking too much. What will it take to shut that down?" Bas asked.

"Orgasms. Lots of them," Blaine said, and both boys looked at him in surprise. He wore a smirk that would have done either of the other two proud. "Tell me I'm wrong!"

"It's worth a shot," Bas agreed. "Should be fun, anyway."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Kurt huffed.

"No, you get all the orgasms we can give you," Bas said. He deftly finished unfastening Kurt's jeans, and Blaine eagerly helped by pulling them down. He paused to take Kurt's shoes and socks off, and Bas started unbuttoning Kurt's shirt.

Kurt's breath caught. His instinct was always to take care of the others, but the hurried sensuality of them stripping him bare with his pleasure their focus made his skin tingle and his heart speed up. They cared about him. They cared enough to do whatever they could to make him feel better. Bas had brought them to this apartment that had to hold horrific memories for him, just so they could have privacy.

Kurt grabbed Bas's hand and squeezed it until the boy looked at him.

"Thank you," he said, his voice wobbly. Bas's mouth opened and he froze.

The heartfelt gratitude in Kurt's eyes shook Sebastian. His chest felt tight and his eyes prickled. Kurt Hummel, the strong, confident, sarcastic boy, needed _him_ , Sebastian Smythe. There was something Bas had never felt before sparking through him as they looked into each other, and fear suddenly rose in his throat. He pasted a cocky grin on his mouth. "It's not like we're not gonna get off, too," he said, shrugging. Sad understanding filled Kurt's eyes and Bas felt flayed to his dark and worthless soul. He shifted Kurt off of him and stood, looking toward the picture window across the room.

"Bas-" Blaine said, but Kurt's hand on his arm stopped him. The couple exchanged a look, and Blaine nodded. "You getting naked? I'm ready to get naked!"

Bas turned back with his confident smile and posed with his hands on the hem of his henley. He winked, then quickly drew it up and off.

The bruises from the final beating from his father had faded, and the faint scars Kurt had noticed on his back weren't visible. All Blaine and Kurt could see was the physique of Bas's sharply defined abs, pecs, and arms.

"You're gorgeous..." Blaine breathed. Kurt nodded his agreement, and Bas flexed, grinning at the boys' reactions. He dropped trou and kicked his shoes and socks off, then raised an eyebrow at Blaine.

"Someone has some catching up to do," Bas chided, and Blaine laughed as he took his clothes off as well.

Bas laid on the couch and pulled Kurt against him, reaching around to stroke his chest and slide his hand down to bring him to full erection. Blaine lifted Kurt's leg over Bas and settled down with his head between Kurt's thighs, immediately nuzzling and snuffling the beloved scent of his boyfriend's crotch. Kurt moaned at the attention as Bas started working him over and Blaine kissed and licked his balls.

The physical sensations overwhelmed Kurt's higher brain function and he let go, dropping his head back, getting lost in Bas's lips on his throat and his hand stroking him, and Blaine's mouth warm and loving holding his balls. The heat built in his stomach, and he surrendered completely, his breath hitching as he came.

Emotion overflowed as he shivered through aftershocks, and he was suddenly sobbing wildly. Blaine moved up and pressed himself close to Kurt, and Bas held them both tight, all of them oblivious to the mess they smeared over their bodies.

"I don't know what to do! This was the plan! I was supposed to get into NYADA!" Kurt wailed. "It's all broken now! It's all out of control and uncertain and I can't do it! How-how do I-" His sobs drowned his words into incoherency, and Bas and Blaine just held him, rocking, both their hearts breaking for their lover.

When his weeping slowed into exhausted misery, Bas finally spoke.

"You're so smart and talented, Kurt. You're going to figure out what to do. And we'll be here supporting you however you need. I know you feel like the world is ending, but just hang on, Blue Eyes. I believe in you. I believe in you."

More tears seeped from Kurt's eyes, and Blaine's reassurances added to his relief.

"The future is so bright for you, sweetie. Everything's gonna be okay. Everything's gonna be great. We're here for you. We're here. I love you so much, Kurt. So, so much."

Bas rubbed his hand up and down Blaine's back, and they looked at each other over Kurt's head, nodding. They would do whatever they needed to to get Kurt through this.

Kurt dozed, barely waking when Blaine peeled himself away and returned with a warm washcloth and cleaned them all up. He finally came to consciousness when the boys started rousing his body again. Everything was touch and taste, and he buried his worries in the feeling of being taken care of so perfectly by Bas and Blaine.

Moaning helplessly as Blaine licked and sucked his ass and Bas swallowed all he could of Kurt's cock, Kurt let his mind and heart take him into intimacy with his boys, every other thought burning away in the heat of their slick bodies, their mouths, their touch.

Bas swallowed him down as he came, and Blaine switched from rimming to fingering Kurt, maintaining a more subdued level of arousal for him. Bas's breath stuttered when he saw two of Blaine's fingers sliding into Kurt's body.

Blaine reached out and took Bas's hand in his free one and brought it between Kurt's legs, folding all but Bas's forefinger down and encouraging him to add his digit to the stretch of Kurt's body.

"Oh, god, Kurt... You're so hot..." Bas groaned as he slipped in beside Blaine's fingers. Bas throbbed, wanting to be inside Kurt in every possible way. Blaine smiled.

"Kurt, are you comfortable? Are you ready for Bas to take you? We want you to feel good, to feel safe and loved," Blaine crooned.

"Yes! Bas! Blaine... Oh, my beautiful boys... You're taking such good care of me. Bas, please, will you? Do you want-"

Bas lunged up and kissed Kurt desperately. "Yes, oh, fuck yes, please. Want to feel you. Want you to know how much I care. Want you to feel-"

"Yes, please, Bas," Kurt whimpered.

Blaine withdrew his fingers gently, wordlessly encouraging Bas to keep stretching him while he rearranged and got a condom.

Bas added a second finger, and, feeling that Kurt needed more, a third, moving, curling, watching as Kurt's head tossed and his stomach rippled in reaction to Bas's stretching. Kurt's breath panted heavily out of him and Sebastian was lost in the sight.

The shock of Blaine putting a tiny dollop of lube on the head of his dick and rolling the latex onto him made Bas jump.

"It's okay," Kurt gasped. "He's helping. He knows just what to do."

Bas nodded, and when he felt Blaine slick him up with lube, he moved over on top of Kurt. Blaine wiggled an arm under Kurt and helped draw his leg up, exposing the pale boy to Bas's awed gaze. It was like a dream as he pulled his hand out and lined up against the rosy rim of Kurt's ass. Bas was shaking like a virgin, and it took Kurt cupping his face and looking with total trust into his eyes to get Bas to finally press forward. Kurt's eyes fluttered shut and his back arched as he worked his body further onto Bas's erection. "Yes," Kurt breathed. "Ohmygod, _Bas_."

The emotions that rose in Bas were unlike anything he'd ever experienced when fucking anyone else. This was Kurt; beautiful, strong, confident Kurt, opening to him, allowing _him_ , Sebastian Smythe, his former tormentor, into him in the most private way possible.

"Kurt, _oh_ , Blue Eyes, I've got you. You're safe. I'd never hurt you. Oh... Oh, _Kurt_ ," Bas sighed. Kurt looked up at him and smiled.

"Sweet, sweet Sebastian. I trust you. You feel amazing, my dear one... Yes!" Kurt exclaimed as Bas thrust into him. Each movement from then on was met with enthusiasm from both Blaine and Kurt.

"You're gorgeous together! Oh, Bas, Kurt... Yes, you're so amazing. Oh, those sounds! Yes, oh, Bas, harder. He can take it. He likes it hard, don't you, sweetheart? Oh, yes..." Blaine was the perfect, encouraging, guiding cheerleader, and when Bas looked at him, he could see how turned on he was by watching and holding Kurt.

"Yeah, ohmygod, yeah, like that... Oh Bas, oh, oh! Yes, give it to me... Oh! Oh! _Yes_!" Kurt's cries sent Bas soaring, his heart beating like he'd just played a double overtime game of lacrosse in the mud.

Kurt grew hard between them, and Bas desperately wanted to jerk him off, but the pace and angle that were making Kurt mewl like he was going mad with pleasure kept both his hands busy gripping the couch for leverage.

"Blaine, can he-can you-" Bas gasped.

"I'll get him. Keep doing exactly what you're doing. He's loving this, Bas!" Blaine assured. His hand reached for Kurt's cock and started stroking.

"Aaahhh! OHMYGOD! Yes! YES!" Kurt's voice rose. Bas kept pounding into him, holding off his own orgasm through sheer willpower. Finally, Kurt arched up and screamed, and Bas came like Old Faithful, Kurt's body rippling on him. It was the singular best moment of Bas's life, and he heard Blaine groan at the same time. God! They came, all three, simultaneously: a perfect moment.

Bas found himself held tightly to Kurt's chest, with an extra arm around his back, and tears making his vision watery as he caught his breath.

"Oh, my dear Bas... That was amazing. Thank you. Thank you, honey. Ohmygod..." Kurt murmured, hugging him.

"That was so beautiful," Blaine whispered, kissing Kurt's cheek, then Bas's. "Oh, Bas, sweetie, are you okay?"

"Shh, Blaine, he's fine," Kurt hushed. He had felt the emotional tremors moving through Bas's body and understood that the boy wouldn't want attention drawn to his reaction. He kissed Bas's hair. "Thank you, honey," he repeated.

Eventually Bas felt the squish and stickiness and pulled back, groaning a little. He removed the condom and climbed off the sofa, going to the bathroom to throw the prophylactic away and splash his face and clean himself before returning to the others with a cloth to help them. When he'd carefully wiped Kurt off, the boy took his hand and Bas looked up into the endless blue of his eyes.

" _Thank you_ , Sebastian," Kurt said insistently. Bas rolled his eyes, but blushed and winked, which seemed to satisfy Kurt.

Refolding the washcloth, Bas cleaned Blaine's hand and belly as well, and Blaine gave him a silly grin and a heated kiss in thanks. Bas chuckled, feeling more relaxed than he had in ages as he tossed the cloth into the hamper.

Kurt and Blaine had snuggled back into the corner of the sofa, and they opened their arms for Bas when he returned. Tangled with arms and legs all over, under, and around each other, they lay in the comfort of the affection they shared, and afternoon passed into evening.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" Blaine asked Kurt, who sighed.

"I'm still scared to death, but... I feel more grounded, I think. And I know for sure that I'm the luckiest person in Ohio with having two wonderful boys who care enough to take care of me."

"Aww," Blaine murmured, but Bas just burrowed his face deeper into Kurt's neck, breathing him in and trying not to think at all.

Eventually, Bas hunted out some canned soup and they ate a late dinner before they had to get back to their homes.

"Bas, I really am so grateful for this. You truly make a difference in my life," Kurt whispered to Bas as he hugged him out by his Porsche.

"If there was more I could do, Blue Eyes, I would."

"I know."

Bas hugged Blaine, too, then drove away.

"He's so lonely," Kurt commented as Blaine pulled away from the curb, heading back to the Lima Bean to drop Kurt at his Navigator.

"I wish he'd made friends with the other Warblers. I know Trent really looks up to him."

"I kind of miss some of them myself. You keep better touch than I do, don't you? Could you encourage them to invite Sebastian to their parties?"

Blaine sighed. He shifted uncomfortably. "Bas... He's burned a lot of bridges."

Kurt nodded in understanding. "I wonder if he even wants to try for people other than us."

"Try to not be so mean?"

"Try to open up and be himself at all. We're the only ones who see the real person behind all his armor."

"That's...that's so sad."

"At least he has us," Kurt reminded him, taking Blaine's hand.

"We all have each other. We're gonna be okay, Kurt. Maybe if you end up staying here for our senior year, we can all go to New York together next year."

Kurt's mind shied away from even thinking about how everything had changed since his rejection letter. Bas and Blaine's reassurances from earlier that he would still be a success echoed in his mind, and he clung to them.

 _A/N Reviews really make my day!_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N I prepared this in the hopes of being able to continue my posting schedule while on vacation, and here it is! I hope you're enjoying it._

Against the World

From Bas to Kurt and Blaine: are you guys available this afternoon?

From Kurt: we're at my house. Please come over anytime.

Bas was unusually quiet when Kurt let him in. He followed his host into the living room, and sat next to Kurt when Kurt dropped onto the sofa. Blaine chattered on about the best way to celebrate his and Kurt's First Time Sleeping All Night Together as Boyfriends Anniversary, about Cooper offering to fly him to LA for a visit and the likelihood that he'd forget the offer by the time Blaine talked to him next, and Kurt made appropriately responsive sounds even while he grew distracted by Bas pressing close against his side. Kurt put his arm around the taller boy, and that was all the opening Sebastian needed to practically crawl into Kurt's lap.

Blaine stopped talking mid-word as Bas burrowed his face in Kurt's chest, folding his legs up so he was curled into a ball halfway across Kurt. Quickly wrapping his other arm around Bas, Kurt directed Blaine with a flick of his eyes to sit on Bas's other side.

Flanking their tall boyfriend, enveloping him in their arms in a protective cocoon, Blaine and Kurt felt it when Bas trembled and his body jerked with suppressed crying.

Blaine looked frightened as he tried to catch Kurt's eye, but Kurt was focused on Bas, nuzzling his hair and lightly kissing his head and neck. He rocked slightly, and started to hum. Bas's shaking worsened, and Kurt gathered him closer.

"Kurt-" Blaine whispered. But Kurt shook his head at him. He instinctively knew that Sebastian didn't want words. Whatever had upset him so much, he needed comfort, and Kurt's heart swelled with aching affection that he trusted Kurt and Blaine enough to come here and let himself be vulnerable this way.

Minute after minute passed, and Kurt just kept rocking and humming.

Bas slowly relaxed. He felt exhausted, but so much better than he had as he'd driven from Westerville shaking with pain and rage and betrayal. He sneered inwardly at the sense that he got more comfort from his two fuck buddies than he could ever remember getting from his family. He shivered with the thought of his family and focused back on Kurt's voice, humming soothingly.

A few more minutes passed and Bas started to uncurl. Kurt stopped rocking him, but rubbed his back and kept humming until Bas finally straightened and sat up, lowering his feet to the floor and staring blankly across the room. Kurt caught Blaine's eye and glanced toward the kitchen. Blaine gently moved away from Bas's side and went to get the boy some water. Kurt kept his arm around Bas, but waited until he saw him blink a few times before he softly kissed Bas's cheek.

Blaine set the glass of water on the coffee table before Bas, then sat back down beside him.

"A-are you going to LA?" Bas asked, his voice rough. He reached for the water and drank it down, not looking at Blaine.

"I don't know. I...don't want to get forgotten at the airport or something," Blaine said, uncertain how to behave. Kurt nodded encouragingly, so he continued. "Maybe you guys could come with me," he suggested. Sebastian grunted and sagged back against the sofa, slouching, his body dragging Kurt's arm down to the small of his back. Kurt leaned closer, sighing and nuzzling his nose against Bas's cheek, brushing his jaw with slightly pursed lips.

"Kurt, can I talk to you for a minute?" A voice came from the area by the front door. Kurt sat bolt upright and turned his head to see his father frowning at the threesome on the couch.

"Um, sure," Kurt said faintly, getting up, unable to be subtle about extricating himself with where his arm had been holding Sebastian so intimately.

In the kitchen, Burt looked at Kurt for a long moment before he spoke. "Isn't that the kid who almost blinded Blaine with rock salt in a slushie meant for _you_?"

Kurt straightened his already poised posture. "His name is Sebastian Smythe. We call him Bas, and...things have changed since that happened."

"Uh-huh."

The Hummel men stared at each other, disapproval rolling off of Burt.

"And if I don't want a kid who's capable of that kind of thing in my house?"

"Then I'll go," Bas said from where he had moved to the doorway. Kurt's whirled.

"No! Bas-"

But Sebastian had already spun on his heel and was out the door. Kurt ran after him, but the Porsche was down the street and turning in a blink.

"Dad! Bas is having a really rough time! He's got personal things going on that are so awful-"

"I don't care! The kid's a bully and a menace and I don't want you hanging around him," Burt said.

"He's our friend!" Kurt shouted. Blaine moved to stand by Kurt's side and added a nod to his statement. He didn't agree with Kurt yelling at his father, but he supported Kurt standing by Bas.

"I don't know much, kid, but I can tell when something is more than friendship. Now, you're both here, so it's not like one of you is doing something the other doesn't know about, but whatever you got going on, I don't want a person like that in my house," Burt said.

Kurt's face paled. Sometimes it really sucked having a dad who was as perceptive as Burt Hummel. Kurt didn't want to have to try to explain the three way relationship they'd gotten into, but he would do anything he had to to help Sebastian.

"People _change_ , Dad. Bas is trying so hard to change. He needs us. He needs the people who care about him. I want him to be welcome in our house!"

"Well he's not welcome here right now! It'll take some explaining, and some display of remorse for what he did to you before I'm willing to even consider it."

Kurt whirled and grabbed his jacket. "That's going to have to wait, Dad. Bas needs us now. And if he's not welcome here, _I_ don't feel very welcome here!"

Blaine followed Kurt with an apologetic look at Burt as they left.

In Kurt's Navigator, he snapped at Blaine to call Bas as he pulled away.

"He's not answering," Blaine said. "It's just going to voicemail."

"Try again. Keep trying."

Kurt drove fast but carefully. He wracked his brain trying to figure out where Bas might go. He drove toward the Lima Bean, figuring that anywhere else would be closer to Westerville so he'd try there first.

The Porsche was there. Bas wasn't. Kurt parked and they both jumped out. He pulled out his phone and quickly texted Bas.

From Kurt: we're at the Lima Bean. WHERE ARE YOU?

From Bas: calm your tits

"Seriously, drama much? All caps?" Bas called, walking toward the Nav from beside the building. Kurt rolled his eyes and pulled Bas into a hug.

"Please don't do that. I was scared to death you were going to get into an accident or something," Kurt whispered. Bas chuckled, but squeezed Kurt tight.

"I'm fine, babe."

"Bas!" Blaine joined the hug.

"I'm sorry about my dad. I should have told him about you. I'll talk to him. It'll be fine. I just-"

"Shh," Bas said. He kept holding Kurt, feeling safe and cared for as he did nowhere else. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of Kurt, with Blaine's smell, as always, combining to make it different and a unique thing in and of itself.

"Will you please talk to us?" Blaine asked plaintively. Bas sighed.

"Yeah. Just not...not here."

"Blaine, are your parents-" Kurt began.

"They're home. Sorry."

Kurt sighed. "Well, it's a Sunday, so no one will be at the school. We can go talk in the courtyard, okay? If the stench of public schools is tolerable," he offered the joke to Bas, who smiled weakly.

"I'll make do."

The trio sat on the concrete terrace, Blaine and Kurt flanking Bas. They at least had the illusion of some privacy there. Kurt gently rubbed Bas's back.

"Tell us whenever you're ready, honey," Kurt said.

It took a while, but the sunshine and warmth of his boyfriends made the pain feel just a little more distant; enough for Bas to speak. "My grandparents... The ones with the estate in Provence, well, they, um, they were in a boating accident and killed."

Kurt covered his mouth with a gasp. "Oh-"

Bas held his hand up to stop him. " _Last month_." His lips curled into a grimacing version of his sneer.

"Wh-what?" Blaine breathed. "And you just found out?"

Bas's mask cracked, and his mouth pulled down, his bottom lip jutting out slightly as his eyes swam. "No one bothered to tell me."

Kurt's eyes filled in sympathy and overflowed. "Oh, my dear, sweet Bas... That's horrible. I'm so sorry."

"Were you close with them?"

"Blaine! That's not the point. They were his family."

"No, it's fair. I grew up going to France to see them a couple of times a year, or at least to visit the estate. They were often traveling, so I didn't always see them, but... Grand-maman was feisty and so smart, and Grand-papa was quiet, but really funny. They... They accepted me, completely. My aunt, who lives on the estate with her kids, always kind of looked down on me because I lived in America, and my cousins just followed her lead. I don't... I can't understand why they wouldn't... None of them called or sent an email or anything. I don't..." His voice broke, and Kurt pulled him into his arms.

Bas was miserable. He felt totally betrayed by the part of his family he thought he could count on. His grandparents and aunt had sent condolences when his father died, and had offered to have him come live with them. Unfortunately, the reasons he had left to return to America where still present in his mind, and the budding relationship with Blaine and Kurt had felt so comforting, he'd chosen to stay at Dalton. Maybe if he'd gone to France, they wouldn't have been on the water that day and... He shook that thought away and leaned into Kurt and Blaine. The strong arms around him, and the staunch support he'd received from Kurt and Blaine since his father's death made him wonder why these boys who had every cause to hate him were more trustworthy than his blood kin.

Oh god. He _trusted_ them. He had come to _count_ on them. He was letting himself be vulnerable, and he always got hurt when he did that.

But... They'd put up with his bullshit. Kurt called him out on every time he tried to push them away. And he forgave Sebastian, too. _Every single time_. Could it be okay, with just these two boys, to let himself be vulnerable? He shuddered. It was terrifying. Like all the times when he was a little boy and he'd attempted to win his father's approval, only to be slapped down, often literally.

"Bas, honey, we need to get you someplace private. You're all knotted up, and I want to take care of you. Can we go back to Dalton? Or... The penthouse in Columbus?" Kurt held him tight, but desperately wanted to be in a safe, private place.

"I... I rented an apartment here in Lima. For-for the summer. They close the dorms and I wanted to be closer to... There's no furniture. I... I brought some blankets and a camping pad... Been just sleeping on the-the floor..."

Kurt's heart ached. School had ended at Dalton almost two weeks before. How long had Bas been living in a bare apartment, so close by, and hadn't told them?

"First thing tomorrow we're going to fix that. For now..." Kurt looked at his watch. "Let's at least get you a blow up mattress." He urged the others up and hustled them to the Nav. The only place he was sure was open and would have mattresses and sheets was Walmart, so, even though he abhorred the place, he drove there and ran inside while Blaine snuggled Bas in the back seat, hopefully safe from disapproving eyes behind the tinted windows. An hour later, they were in Bas's apartment with the compressor whining away, filling the mattress while Bas and Blaine stood in the kitchen overseeing the simple meal Kurt had thrown together. When it was done filling, Kurt made it up with the the highest thread count sheets they'd had at the discount store. They still felt scratchy, but Kurt sighed, knowing it was better than the sad little nest that had been in the corner of the living room.

Kurt peeked at the chicken baking in the oven and nodded to himself.

"Bas, can we give you a massage? You're so tense..." Kurt asked. "I'm not going to push you for sex, but we can do anything you want to feel better."

"A massage sounds nice. Maybe with a happy ending?" Bas said, the ghost of his smirk alerting Kurt to a reference he didn't understand. He looked at Blaine.

"Hand job," Blaine supplied.

Kurt smirked back at Bas. "If that's all you want. I was thinking a blowjob, but..."

"I always figured happy ending meant an orgasm. With some of the massage therapists I've seen, I'm all for whatever way you guys choose to get me off," Bas said. Kurt smiled at the return of some of his snark.

Kurt and Blaine laid Bas out on towels and worked him over in tandem, Blaine watching Kurt's movements and trying his best to mirror them. For the first time, Blaine noticed the scars on Bas's back, but since Kurt was ignoring them, he did, too. Bas's moans at the massage were more guttural than his sex moans, which was a very apparent difference when they turned him face up and their hands strayed into more erogenous areas.

Catching Kurt's eye, Blaine asked wordlessly if he could be the one to blow Bas, and Kurt nodded. Laying down beside the tall boy, Kurt kissed him and played with his nipples while Blaine made him writhe and pant.

Blaine's mouth was warm and wet with perfect suction and a very talented tongue teasing Bas's cock, and being able to open his eyes and look into Kurt's crystal blues made all his hurt and pain fade away with the deep affection and care he saw there.

Watching Sebastian arch and try not to thrust, knowing the mind-boggling talent of Blaine's mouth, all the while staring into Bas's eyes, made Kurt's heart feel like it was glowing in heat, with warmth spreading throughout his body and emotion threatening to blur his vision.

"Yes, oh, Bas... Oh, honey... My dear, dear boy..." Kurt murmured, his fingers relentlessly teasing his nipples, reveling in the ecstasy and emotion in the forest green depths. Seeing Bas's eyes go wide as he pinched his nipple and Blaine bobbed furiously, Kurt clamped his mouth over Sebastian's and moaned sympathetically as he swallowed Bas's shout when his body jerked as he came.

The world exploded, and all Bas could sense was Blaine and Kurt, holding him, their mouths tethering him amidst the climax that washed everything else away.

Blaine gently released Bas from his mouth, swallowing his bleachy flavor, and moving up across from where Kurt was softly breaking away from kissing the spent boy. He watched with contentment as the other two looked lovingly into each other's eyes before they turned to him for kisses and then relaxed back.

"This would be more comfortable on the bed," Blaine said. Kurt chuckled.

"And better with you guys naked. Naked is always better," Bas supplied.

Kurt sat up and rolled to his feet, and both other boys eyed his obvious arousal as evidenced by the bulge in his pants. He giggled. "Stop staring and get up. Let's move to the air mattress for naked snuggles, okay?" He extended his hands to them and braced, helping them up from the floor.

Blaine began stripping, but Sebastian hugged Kurt. "Thank you, Blue Eyes," he whispered. Kurt kissed his cheek as they drew apart.

"You're welcome. This is what it means to be in a relationship, honey. You guys took care of me a few weeks ago, and now I'm here for you."

Bas nodded, but Kurt's heart ached at the guardedly hopeful expression on his face that told him that Bas had never had anyone he could count on.

The timer on the oven went off, and Kurt shooed them to the bed and went to get the food. He brought it out on one plate for the chicken and one for the roasted green beans along with three sets of silverware. They picnicked on the air mattress, feeding each other and sharing kisses.

"This is so good, Kurt. Thank you," Bas said.

"Just a simple baked chicken parmesan and roasted green beans. I would much rather have made you something more elaborate as comfort food, but this only required the one baking sheet," Kurt shrugged. "Tomorrow when we go shopping for furniture, we'll get a set of pans as well. I don't know what you've been eating, honey."

"Takeout. Pastries from the Lima Bean."

"Should we get you a coffee maker or do you want to walk to the Bean every morning?" Blaine asked.

"How often do you work mornings, Blue Eyes?"

"Only a couple of days a week," Kurt replied. "I guess now I know why you've been there so often."

Bas looked away and shrugged.

"Oh, my boy, it's okay. I love seeing you so much, I just don't like that you get to hear me berated by my shift manager so often."

"The guy's a douche."

Kurt smiled. "Yes. He is."

"Did Kurt tell you he's looking at the classes offered at the community college this fall?" Blaine asked. "Maybe we'll all end up going to New York together next year!"

Bas looked at Kurt and saw a dimming of his fire at that. It was unsettling. "Babe, you should only do that if you want to," Sebastian said. "You could go ahead and go to New York and find a job, go on some auditions... Maybe some casting director will actually see the diamond you are and cast you for a gender bending revival of Gypsy and you'll leave all us college bound losers in the dust."

Kurt smiled fondly at the crazy idea, the thought having weighed on his mind even as he perused the class lists in the catalog for the local school.

"You're not losers," Kurt assured them. "I'm going to college, too. It's the smart thing to do."

Blaine's heart sank. His whole body filled with dread when he thought of Kurt going to New York without them. He changed the subject.

"Why are you the only one still dressed?" Blaine asked Kurt, pouting playfully. Kurt moved the remnants of their meal over onto the floor beside them and stretched out.

"I don't know. Maybe you guys should do something about it?"

Having two gorgeous naked boys hurry to undress him fueled Kurt's desire, but he didn't lose his focus on Bas.

They spent the rest of the evening pleasuring one another, with Kurt and Blaine focused on distracting Bas and trying also to wear him out so he'd be able to sleep. By the time Kurt's curfew loomed, Sebastian was semi-conscious and utterly spent.

Getting ready to leave, they all kissed each other goodnight, and then Kurt and Blaine went out to Kurt's Nav. Once inside, Kurt dropped his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes, letting out a shaky breath.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Blaine asked quietly.

"Yeah, I guess. I'm just frustrated at a world that seems to revel in kicking people when they're down."

"He's got us now. He'll be alright."

" _If_ he opens up to us. How long do you think he's been living like that?"

"It can't be too long. And with all his money, he could have just bought some furniture."

Kurt sighed. Somehow he knew that there was something much deeper going on with Bas that made him cause his own suffering. He didn't know much about the psychology of abuse, but he was pretty sure Bas felt he didn't deserve comfort or love or anything positive.

"We need to help him understand that he deserves good things, Blaine."

"Of course he deserves good things! Do you think _he_ thinks he doesn't? Of course! That's why he's living that way... Oh, Kurt! How do we show him he's worthy of love and happiness? I want him to know that."

"I do too, sweetheart. We'll just have to figure it out as we go."

When Kurt arrived home, Burt was waiting up.

"I have an early shift tomorrow, Dad," Kurt said, trying to stave off the inevitable talk.

"We need to talk now, Kurt."

Sighing, Kurt came into the living room and sat down.

"You try to see the best in people. I admire that about you. But I also worry that you could get taken advantage of."

"Bas isn't taking advantage of me. I really care about him, and this last four months have been terribly difficult for him."

"People are always gonna have tough spells. That doesn't mean you have to try to fix things for them."

"That's not what I'm doing," Kurt huffed.

Burt sighed. "How long have you been...seeing him?"

Kurt swallowed hard. "Dad, I don't think you want to... Um..."

"Look, I want you happy, and I want you safe, okay, kid? It's obvious Blaine knows about...whatever this is, so I'm not gonna try to tell you you're doing something wrong. I'm not happy you haven't told me anything about him, though. If he's important to you, I want to know. I want the chance to get to know him."

"You _threw_ him _out_."

"Yeah, well, if I knew you were dating him, I might have reacted differently, alright?"

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Invite him to dinner Friday, okay?"

Kurt nodded. "Can I go to bed now?"

Burt nodded. "Yeah. Just... Tell me you're safe with him."

"Dad!" Kurt's face reddened and he sounded scandalized.

"Not like- well, that too, but I mean safe, like... He tried to hurt you with that slushie, Kurt!"

"Everything has changed. _He's_ changing. Blaine and I are helping him learn that not everyone is out to hurt him, so he doesn't have to lash out to keep himself safe."

" _You're_ teaching him that? Are you learning about that, too?"

Kurt frowned.

"You've got an awfully sharp tongue, kiddo."

Kurt huffed a laugh. "Point taken. Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight, son."

~~Glee~~

Bas showed up a couple of hours into Kurt's shift at the Lima Bean and hung out drinking coffee and eating scone after scone until it ended.

"We gonna go shopping, Blue Eyes?" Bas asked, holding the door open for Kurt as they left.

"Definitely. Is it okay if it's just us? Blaine can't make it today."

"Yeah. I kinda gathered you're the expert. Blaine texted me and told me to let you do your thing and just carry the bags."

Kurt laughed and Bas grinned at him.

Kurt asked to see the manager when they arrived at Mattress Land. A bed was the most critical thing Bas needed.

"Hello, Mr Cusperberg! Kurt Hummel. It's been too long," Kurt said, beaming, when the heavyset man came out. They shook hands and Kurt kept speaking to cover the awkwardness of the man obviously having no idea who he was. "I just want to tell you, that commercial the McKinley glee club did for you has helped a number of the kids with their career options! Mercedes Jones has had an offer of a record deal in Los Angeles, and Rachel Berry is in New York City getting ready to attend a prestigious school in the fall."

"Oh! Yes, of course! You know, that commercial had the single biggest impact on sales for the entire year. I tried to get you kids back for another, but your teacher said there was some problem with keeping eligibility or something."

"Hmm. Yes. Shame. However, when Mr Smythe here emigrated from France, I knew just where to come to get him the very best bed in Lima," Kurt said, gesturing at Bas, whose typically bored, snooty expression played right into his plan.

When the boys left, they had scheduled for delivery to Bas's apartment the next day the highest end mattress the store had, at a deep discount. Out in the Porsche, they burst into giggles together.

"Ohmygod, how is it you speak fluent French but can't do an accent?" Kurt asked, holding his side.

"I was caught off guard! Besides, it's not like a Lima hick could tell that it sucked."

"True," Kurt sighed. "Where to next? We could get the best prices at the outlet mall if you want to go that far. We should take my baby, though. There's not much storage space in this car."

So they returned to the Bean and took the Nav, then spent the afternoon running up Bas's credit card outfitting the entire apartment.

"You are a serious bargain hunter!" Bas exclaimed as they unloaded bag after bag of household goods.

"We didn't spend too much, did we?" Kurt asked, concerned. Bas waved him off, scoffing.

"We could have spent triple and it would still be fine. I just loved watching you work!"

Kurt fixed them a quick meal of stir fry and they spent the evening setting up everything they had been able to bring home that day and discussing where to have the delivery men put all the furniture that would arrive over the next two days.

"I wish we could paint. This white is just so stark!"

Bas wrapped his arms around Kurt from behind and kissed his cheek. "Reminds me of your skin," he murmured. Kurt blushed.

"I'm only chalk white when I'm sick, thank you very much."

"Hmm." Bas nuzzled Kurt's neck, and Kurt closed his eyes, leaning into the strength surrounding him.

"This is like an almost perfect domestic dream," Kurt sighed.

"Almost?" Bas asked, mouthing along Kurt's hairline and nibbling on his ear.

" _Stark white_. Ideally, I'd want to choose colors and themes for each room."

"You sort of did with the curtains and towels and bedding and shit."

Kurt chuckled and pulled away, turning to face him. "Are you sure you're gay? You have so little interest in interior design, it worries me," he teased.

Bas stepped close and enveloped Kurt in his embrace, kissing him deeply and pressing his hips into Kurt's so the other boy could feel how hard he was. "Yeah. Pretty sure, Blue Eyes."

Kurt sighed and rested his head on Bas's shoulder. It had been a beautiful daydream shopping as if this could be a home for them and Blaine. "I wish Blaine could be here with us," Kurt said softly. "I'm pretty tired, but it would be great to snuggle on the blow up mattress like we did last night."

"We can still lay down together for a bit, right?" Bas asked.

"I have curfew in forty-five minutes," Kurt said.

"That's why I rented a place in Lima. We have at least half an hour before you need to leave. I'm sure we could have plenty of fun in thirty minutes."

"If Blaine were here, yes."

Bas sighed. "You're really gonna stick to that, huh?"

"The only way this works is with all three of us for the sexy times."

Bas sighed. "Okay. You're the boss, Blue Eyes."

"We need to talk again, all three of us."

"Make a specific plan for what's okay when we're just paired up?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure kissing is fine..."

"Let's lay down for a few minutes. Kissing only, I promise."

"Okay," Kurt said breathlessly.

They spent twenty-five minutes languorously rolling on the bed. Kurt decided that frottage was okay since they both stayed completely clothed, but they were both gasping when Kurt's alarm sounded on his phone.

"I am so jealous you get to jerk off as soon as I leave and I have to drive all the way home first," Kurt grumbled when they rose and started trying to cool down. Bas snickered.

"You know, I never would have guessed you were such a sex fiend when we first met," Bas said.

"When we first met, I wasn't. Blaine and I hadn't had sex yet, then."

"Mmm. That'll be a good phone sex story, I bet. Your transformation from tentative virgin to sex god."

Kurt blushed and changed the subject as he got his coat.

"Um, my dad really wants to meet you properly. Will you come to family dinner on Friday? Blaine will be there."

"Your father doesn't like me."

"It's not that he doesn't like you; he doesn't _know_ you, Bas. If you'd come to dinner..."

"I'm not going where I'm not welcome," Bas snapped, his face and voice going cold.

Kurt huffed. "You're making that up in your own head. I've told you he invited you."

Sebastian turned away, his jaw set, and Kurt sighed. He didn't want their day together to end on such a sour note, so he hugged Bas from behind.

"Consider it, please?" He whispered. Bas just stayed quiet, but Kurt could feel his body shaking. "For whenever you're ready, the invitation stands. Now, will you please kiss me goodnight?"

Bas took a deep breath and turned around. The twinkle was back in his eyes and he swept Kurt into a low dip and kissed him thoroughly, bringing him back upright and leaving him flushed and giggling.

"Goodnight, Blue Eyes," Bas said, waking him to the door.

"Goodnight, my sweet Bas," Kurt replied, stroking his cheek before he left.


	6. Chapter 6

Break Away

"My dad will be okay with me going all the way to Columbus and staying over if it's a whole group of us. Sam, Artie, Puck, and Mike make this a group road trip instead of a sordid excuse to have a weekend away with just us," Kurt said. There was a broad twinkle in his eyes as he said it.

"I have been looking forward to this since we won Sectionals," Blaine exclaimed. "Michael!"

"But I've seen Cirque de Soliel before. It's kinda lame," Bas said, his voice taking on the uppity tone that it rarely had anymore.

"Bas, we'll be able to stay in a hotel room. The _three_ of us," Kurt informed him. "None of us will have to get up and leave. We can fall asleep together and wake up together-"

"Yeah, okay, 'nuff said. I'm in."

Blaine clapped. "Columbus, Immortal, Michael Jackson: Here we come!"

"How did I ever think you were the butch one?" Bas asked. Kurt cleared his throat and Bas forced himself not to roll his eyes. "Sorry, Blaine."

The show the glee club had been considering attending since they'd first performed Michael Jackson songs was at hand. Mercedes had already left for Los Angeles, Rachel had been sent off to New York City after Finn broke their engagement, and Santana and Brittany were spending the summer at a cheerleading camp, which left only the boys to go.

Kurt was right that his father was more accepting of him taking a road trip with a whole group than just Bas and Blaine, but it had taken a very mature discussion to convince Burt that the trio could stay an extra day in Columbus together, ostensibly to allow Blaine and Bas to check out the OSU campus. Kurt doubted Burt truly believed him, but he humored his son anyway.

They intended to run over to the admissions office sometime on Saturday to get some pamphlets at least. Bas scoffed at the thought of staying in Ohio for college, but Kurt just rolled his eyes and reminded him that the visit was a cover for being able to see just how much sex the three of them could have in a limited but still more extended time than they'd ever had together. Privately, the thing Kurt was most excited about was getting to sleep with both boys, through not just one, but two whole nights.

~~Glee~~

The show was stunning, no matter what Bas had said about it. The boys spoke excitedly as they left the venue and split up into their respective vehicles.

"You guys sure you're staying another day? What is there to do in Columbus?" Sam asked.

"Dude, they're not gonna leave their hotel room. They're gonna have a major fuck-fest," Puck supplied.

" _Oh_. Oh, well, then, um, have a good time," Sam said, leaning down to speak in a slightly lower voice to Artie. "Like, all three of them? How does that work? Did you know about this?"

Bas, Kurt, and Blaine turned toward the Nav and pretended not to hear, exchanging glances and eyerolls.

"Bye, Mike," Blaine said over his shoulder. The tall boy waved.

"Finally! Damn, I'm feeling _lucky_. What do you think?" Bas said as soon as the doors closed.

Blaine laughed. "I'm up for it. How about you, Kurt?"

"I rather assumed that we would all be getting lucky."

"Lucky Pierre, man! You two double-teaming me? We've only been talking about it for a _month_ ," Bas clarified.

"That has a _name_?" Kurt asked.

"For someone as good at sex as you are, you're sadly uneducated about the lingo," Bas teased.

"So it's a porn thing," Kurt said dismissively. "Well I don't care, then," Kurt said, starting the SUV and backing out, quickly joining the line of cars leaving the parking garage.

"Are you sure I will never be able to call you princess, because that was the most prissy, holier-than-thou-"

"I am _quite_ sure, Sebastian," Kurt snapped.

"Please don't fight, you guys. I really want to have a wonderful weekend," Blaine said.

Kurt giggled. "We're definitely going to have a wonderful weekend," he said, then focused on driving, only half listening as his boyfriends continued talking.

"I have a surprise," Bas said, almost shyly.

"I love surprises! Let me guess... Is it sexy underwear?" Blaine grinned and turned to look at Bas behind the driver's seat.

"Uh, no," Bas said.

"Some kind of sex toy?"

"Nope."

"The gay kama sutra?"

"Blaine," Bas chuckled. "You're not going to guess it. Can I just tell you?"

"Oh, okay."

"I got tested a few weeks ago."

"Tested for..."

"STD's. I'm clean. I brought the results. I thought... Maybe we could _not_ terrify the cleaning crew at the hotel with mountains of used condoms."

Kurt gasped and blushed as Bas's words registered. "Oh, Bas! Really? That's wonderful!"

Blaine cocked his head, looking at Kurt. "Do you really think it makes that much of a difference?"

Stopped at a red light, Kurt's eyes went to the rear view mirror and met Bas's in the back seat.

"We use them for neatness occasionally, or if I really want to last for some reason," Kurt explained.

"Some reason like..." Bas led, the idea of a really long session with Kurt inside him sending sparks through his body.

Kurt's eyes narrowed, flicking back and forth from the mirror to the light. He heard the desire in Bas's voice and shared a knowing look with Blaine.

"This weekend is a perfect time to show you," Kurt purred. Bas bit his lip.

It was rounding up to midnight by the time the trio settled onto the king sized bed in the larger bedroom of the executive suite of one of the best hotels in Columbus, each having taken his turn in the bathroom to get cleaned up.

"Ohmygod, did you see the size of that tub? We'll all three fit! Bas, this place is so nice! Thank you, honey," Kurt leaned over and kissed Sebastian.

Blaine giggled. "You can always make him blush," he told Kurt. He snuggled close to Bas. "I like the huge bed. This is even bigger than your king, isn't it?"

"It's a California king. I figured we'd want all the room we could get."

"I want you in me," Kurt blurted, looking at Bas's long, lean body stretched out across the bed. "With no condom." The two boys on the bed stared at him. "I want to feel you. I want you to come inside me. I want-"

Sebastian surged up from prone like he was a dolphin surfacing, and in a moment he was looking into Kurt's eyes and breathing his air, lips a hairsbreadth from the other boy's. Kurt had gasped as Bas rose, and then was breathing in tiny pants, his face slowly reddening as he watched as Bas searched his eyes.

"Anything, Blue Eyes," Bas said, then cupped Kurt's face and kissed him. Kurt lost himself in the passion of the kiss. He let Sebastian support him, feeling the warmth of Bas's arms around him, strong and reliable.

"How about we make Kurt the Lucky Pierre?" Blaine suggested. The other two boys broke apart, laughing.

"I'm up for it if you are, babe," Bas said.

Kurt blushed. "Okay, but I want us on our sides in the bed. The other position is just for you, Bas."

Naked, on the big bed, they spent time trading kisses and touches, and Bas and Blaine worked together to open Kurt and prepare him with lube. Taking full advantage of the size of the bed, Kurt tugged on Blaine until the boy's ass was up by Kurt's face, then, with a grin, he spread Blaine's cheeks and dove in, licking and nibbling. Bas remained in place beside Kurt, his fingers still slowly stroking in and out of him, but he propped himself up so he could watch.

Seeing the calm expression on Kurt's face, with his eyes closed and face buried between the soft roundness of Blaine's ass cheeks, Bas was surprised and exceptionally turned on by Kurt's body rhythmically clenching on his fingers.

"You like that, huh? Eating him while I finger you?" Bas murmured to Kurt, who moaned an affirmative.

"Oh fuck, Bas, is that what you're still doing? God! Ngh, oh, this is so hot..." Blaine groaned. He adored having these gorgeous boys in bed with him, loved how their long arms and legs all tangled around him, how they both enjoyed touching him and each other. Eventually, he wanted both of them to fuck him at once. It seemed like the ultimate bonding, their cocks pressed against each other, filling him even more full than his biggest toy- "I-I'm close!" Blaine cried. Kurt made his desire clear when he pressed his tongue hard into Blaine and reached up and started rubbing his taint. Blaine returned to imagining riding Bas with Kurt behind him, driving in hard, making both of them-

"Aaahhh! Kurt!" Blaine came without his cock being touched, and just that thought made his body spasm harder and he came and came, shuddering and shaking.

Kurt trembled and clenched, and Bas froze, not wanting to push him over the edge.

All three lay breathing hard, the silence broken by a shaky gasp as Bas withdrew his fingers from Kurt. They all moved into more relaxed postures as they calmed.

"Oh god, Kurt. That was so good. Please tell me you're gonna take me now, though. Need you in me, love," Blaine moaned.

Kurt looked over his shoulder at Bas, whose red face was a good indicator that he, too, was ready for more. Kurt smiled as he turned his gaze back to Blaine. "Yes, sweetheart. Make me lucky, okay? Bas, hand me the lube?"

It only took a minute or two of fingering Blaine before Kurt pushed into him. Blaine groaned shakily and lay trembling while Kurt settled and waited for Bas.

Sebastian had to take a minute, looking at the pale curve of Kurt's neck and back and running his fingers up and down the soft skin, noting the light freckles across his shoulders and the incredible play of muscle beneath it all. His hands slipped further down to palm Kurt's ass, squeezing the handfuls and shuddering. He kissed Kurt's neck and nuzzled at his hairline.

"You're beautiful..." Bas murmured.

"Mmm. Thank you, Bas. I'm ready for you, honey. _We're_ ready," Kurt breathed in reply.

The warmth of being inside Blaine and holding him, their bodies pressed tight, was familiar to Kurt, so he shivered a little when Bas moved, spreading him and nudging between his cheeks.

Bas saw it.

"You okay, Blue Eyes?"

Kurt's heart was thundering in his body, and the shivers became shaking. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but it didn't help.

"Blaine, I-I can't do b-both. Is that okay?" Kurt whispered.

Bas drew back, hurt and stunned to be excluded.

"Of course, sweetie," Blaine replied, also drawing away, but the loss of his familiar closeness made Kurt's skin rise in goosebumps as he turned onto his back to look at Sebastian.

"My boy, what is it?" Kurt gasped. Bas was glaring at him, but Kurt could see that the anger was a mask for hurt. Rolling closer, Kurt kissed him, touching his face tenderly. "Will you take me, my sweet Bas? Face to face? The other way was too much for me- I felt trapped," he confessed, and watched the hurt and anger drain out of the pretty green eyes.

"Okay," Sebastian whispered. Kurt rolled, pulling the other boy on top of himself. Bas glanced at Blaine, but the hungry, avid look from his eyes reassured him that the change in plans was more than okay with him.

Kurt couldn't take his eyes off Sebastian's body and face. He drew his legs up and out, exposing himself for the other boy. Bas moaned and fumbled for the lube. The squelch of Sebastian slicking himself up brought a lascivious smile to Kurt's lips, and when Bas leaned over him, lining up and starting to push in, Kurt gave a long, shuddery whimper.

"Oh fuck, Kurt, that _sound_..." Blaine whined. He buried his face against Kurt's neck and helped Kurt hold his leg folded almost under his arm.

Bas caught Kurt's eyes and stared hard as he rocked, easing in further with each slight movement. Kurt's mouth dropped open and he panted in time with the micro-thrusts, and Sebastian knew he'd never seen anything more alluring. Biting his lip, Bas finally bottomed out and rested heavily against the back of Kurt's thighs.

"You okay?" Bas asked. His voice was unsteady, but there was no way he was going to keep going unless he got the all clear from Kurt.

"Oh yes, Sebastian..." Kurt sighed. They kept eye contact for an endless, suspended moment, then Bas drew back and slid smoothly in again, his eyes widening with the amazing feeling of nothing between them.

"Fuck..." Bas groaned. "Feels...incredible, Kurt..."

Kurt's smile lit his face and he squeezed his ass against Bas's cock, laughing joyfully at the strangled cry that wrought from the other boy.

Blaine's head came up and he stared at Sebastian, enjoying the agonized ecstatic expression on his face with his head thrown back, long neck extended, muscular shoulders and torso tight. He pushed himself up and latched onto Bas's throat, causing the boy to whine deep in his chest.

"Oh, yes, boys, yes, let me watch you... Bas, kiss Blaine..." Kurt ordered. Blaine moved his mouth up to meet Sebastian's, and they kissed hard and messy. Kurt trembled, wildly turned on by the sight. He rolled his hips as best he could, tightening and releasing, eliciting another broken moan from Bas.

The boys broke their kiss and looked down at Kurt, who arched and writhed, growing desperate for some motion from Bas.

"Oh, god, yes, Bas, do it, fill him up," Blaine encouraged. Bas started thrusting, long, almost lazy strokes, and Kurt's eyes closed and his mouth fell open. "Oh, he's so beautiful..." Blaine breathed, and looked down to see Kurt's heavy erection flexing with each press inward, and further, entranced by the sight of Bas as Kurt's body welcomed him, the two boys joining with each motion. "Both...together... _gorgeous_ ," Blaine gasped. He reached between them to wrap his fingers around Kurt to join them.

"Ohmygod! I'm not gonna last if-if you- Oh! _Oh_!" Kurt cried. He felt completely overwhelmed with pleasure, drowning in sensation, and words failed him as the three found a rhythm.

Bas felt himself almost wanting to cry. Kurt had surrendered to him totally, and he felt so good, and looked so amazing, and his body was absolutely incredible as it took him in and trembled with each stroke from Blaine's hand. The moment was perfect. But it couldn't last. The tension in him coiled tighter and tighter and he sped up, unable to hold back. He jerked and humped hard, slamming into Kurt, and Blaine matched him, driving Kurt wild.

"Ah! Yeah! Oh! Don't-don't stop! Gonna... Oh! Bas! Fuck! Please-" Kurt shouted, his voice growing thick and garbled, and then he cried out long and high, his body seizing as he came.

Bas tried to keep his eyes open to watch Kurt pump his orgasm all over Blaine's fist, but his own zapped through him, centered on the throbbing, spitting head of his cock, enveloped in Kurt's hot body, holding him, milking him as his ass rippled and pulsed. Sebastian gave a final, straining push and then dropped onto Kurt, Blaine's knuckles digging unheeded into his stomach as he choked back sobs of release and overwhelming emotion.

"Shh... Hush, my sweet, dear Bas... We've got you. That was positively amazing. Thank you both, so much..." Kurt murmured hoarsely. He usually kept his voice under control to protect it, but he'd been completely overwhelmed and could feel his throat scratching from his shouting. His body was glowing with warmth and love and he just wanted to stay forever wrapped up in these two amazing boyfriends.

They made a quick cleanup and stood together at the foot of the bed. It was nearly two in the morning, and Kurt's suggestion to sleep for a while was met with tired nods.

"I get too hot under a lot of covers. Which one of you wants the middle?"

Blaine looked back and forth at them and smiled shyly. "I've been dreaming of sleeping between you two. Is that okay?"

"Fine by me. I kick the covers off half the time," Bas said, shrugging.

They settled down with Blaine on his back and the others on their sides facing him and one another. In the dimness, Kurt could see Bas's open eyes from the glint of light. Blaine's eyes were shut and Kurt could feel his breathing even out and knew he'd be asleep in moments.

"You okay?" Kurt asked Sebastian, his voice a mere breath.

"I don't... I've never slept like this," Bas admitted.

"Does it bother you?"

"No, I just... I guess I'm trying to soak it up."

"Oh, honey," Kurt murmured. He reached across Blaine and ran his fingers through Sebastian's hair. "I understand. I love being here, all of us together," he said. He watched Bas's eyes close and felt him turn into the caress.

"Me too."

They drifted off.

~~Glee~~

Kurt woke to wet suction and soft moans. He turned his head but neither Bas nor Blaine had their heads on their pillows. A particularly strong suck on his cock brought his attention down, and he saw the round lumps of two heads under the sheet.

"Ohmygod... Good morning boys," Kurt gasped. One of them threw the sheet back and they grinned up at him, lips slick with spit, his erection standing between their faces.

Kurt's stomach growled loudly, and they all laughed even while Kurt blushed furiously in embarrassment.

"Maybe we can eat before we resume our fuck fest?" Blaine suggested.

"Ew! Do _not_ quote Noah Puckerman at me when you're next to my dick, I might catch something!" Kurt protested.

Sebastian ordered a big breakfast with lots of coffee from room service and they lounged around, waiting for it. Blaine had suggested they try the tub after they ate, putting off more sexual shenanigans until their food would have settled. Kurt suggested they should get the visit to OSU done as soon as possible as well, so they'd be able to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening in sensual pleasures. Realistically, he knew there was no way they'd spend time naked in the tub without getting too excited to wait, but that would be fun, too. Then they'd be more relaxed going to the school for admissions flyers.

The mountains of food that arrived shocked Kurt, but the appetite of three teenaged boys made short work of the bounty.

"Time to try out that tub," Kurt said as they sipped the last of the coffee.

"Shit!" Bas exclaimed suddenly.

"What!"

"Did either of you bring silicone lube?"

Kurt laughed. Apparently Sebastian had the same suspicion that they wouldn't be able to spend time together naked in the tub without getting sexual.

"I thought we were just going to bathe?" Kurt said, blinking his eyes innocently.

"No you didn't," Bas replied, winking.

"Are you guys done? I brought lube for underwater," Blaine contributed. They all laughed.

"Were you a boyscout or something?" Bas asked.

Blaine shook his head. "I had to go to wilderness survival camp one summer when I was a kid, but I just appreciate the motto, especially when it comes to sex!"

They moved to the bathroom and got the huge bathtub started filling. "Oo! It has jets!" Blaine noted.

The jets gave Kurt ideas, and he climbed in and waved the others to join him as soon as it was full enough to cover his legs.

"Bas, sit behind me. Blaine, in my lap, facing me. No, on your knees, sweetie," Kurt directed. He looked over his shoulder at Bas. "You can do anything you like, my dear. I'm gonna try something with Blaine, okay?"

"Sure thing. It'll be fun trying to distract you," Bas said. Kurt raised one eyebrow in challenge, and Bas laughed.

"Don't worry, Kurt, if he gets too distracting, I'll do something to get his attention," Blaine offered.

Kurt smirked. "You're gonna be too busy getting off, sweetie, but that will distract our porn-watching boy, too."

Kurt's plan definitely worked out. He pushed Blaine back on all fours until his taint was being blasted by the jet, then stroked him with the waterproof lube, edging him until he was incoherent. Kurt enjoyed the feeling of Bas's hands all over him, but he wasn't surprised at all when Bas grabbed the lube and rubbed it where his cock nestled at the top of Kurt's butt crack and lower back and Sebastian started humping him, holding his hips and panting harshly in Kurt's ear as he watched Blaine fall apart.

Blaine was writhing on Kurt's hands and mewling, begging wordlessly, when Kurt deemed he'd had enough and stroked him through an orgasm that had Blaine howling, then dropping forward so fast that Kurt had to grab him to keep Blaine's head above the water. Moments later, Bas groaned as he came too.

Kurt's own arousal was a burning need, but he decided to wait until they were in the shower.

"I think we should finish what we started this morning, don't you?" Bas asked Blaine when they had begun draining the tub and climbed out to rinse off in the shower.

Blaine looked pointedly down at Kurt's impressive erection sticking straight out in front of him. "I think that's a great idea!"

So Kurt was pressed against the wall in the big shower stall and both boys sank to their knees in front of him. But both mouths working up and down his shaft out of sync with each other was maddening to Kurt and he groaned in frustration.

"Will one of you please just suck my cock? This is a horrible tease!" He said.

Blaine stared up at him. "You edged me six times, Kurt. You do _not_ get to define horrible tease!"

"You like being edged! I don't, damnit!"

"No fighting, you two. Unless it'll lead to makeup sex. I've never really had that before and-"

Kurt grabbed Bas's head and repositioned him so Bas could suck him.

Bas complied. He challenged himself to take more of the length but ended up choking a couple of times.

"Ohmygod, Bas, honey, it's okay... J-just the head is... Fuck..." Kurt tried to reassure Sebastian, but he was so turned on he could barely form words.

"The head is the key, Bas. Just focus there, flick and swirl and-"

"Yes!" Kurt came, nearly collapsing, and Blaine leapt up to hold him while he shuddered and Bas trembled in sympathetic pleasure.

After Kurt could stand again, they took turns washing each other. Kurt ceded washing Blaine's hair to Bas, knowing well the enjoyment of working fingers through the thick curls Blaine hid so well with his gel.

"Fuck, Blaine... You're gorgeous like this! Why do you..."

Kurt stopped Bas before Blaine could have his typical frozen, negative reaction to questioning his hairstyle choice. Kurt kissed Blaine languidly to keep him relaxed, and the awkward moment passed.

When they all started pulling on their clothes for the day, it became apparent that they all had different ideas of summer casual clothes.

Kurt had planned yet another fabulous outfit, with tight, digital camouflage pants in black, white, and gray, a lightweight sky blue t-shirt, and a silvery vest. He carefully perched a subtly patterned driving cap on his head, leaving his upswept bangs untouched, and slipped his feet into a pair of Ferragamo's he'd acquired on ebay when a shoe store in Los Angeles had flooded. There was a slight warping to the leather of one heel, but they fit great and no one ever noticed the flaw.

Blaine wore his red jeans and boat shoes, ankles flashing, and a plaid short-sleeved button shirt with a striped bow tie. The shirt and tie both had red white and blue coloring, and when Kurt raised his eyebrows, Blaine shrugged and grinned. "I'm looking forward the 4th of July," he said.

Bas put on ratty tan cargo shorts and a striped rugby shirt, then turned to his companions, only to find them sharing a look and giving him a side-eye.

"What?"

"Didn't you get any clothes in Paris, Bas?" Kurt asked.

"Of course I did. Nothing I'm wasting on OS-fucking-U, though," he said defensively.

"It's fine. You look fine," Blaine said placatingly. Kurt turned a cold look on him.

"No, he does _not_ look fine," Kurt stated flatly.

Sebastian bristled. He almost let fly with a scathing remark about Kurt's girl clothes (not that anything he was wearing today was femme: god, you could practically make out the precise outline of his cock in those pants!), but he held back.

"There is no excuse not to put your best foot forward at all times, Sebastian. Really! Those shorts are appalling! Do we need to go shopping?"

"Not today, Blue Eyes." Bas rolled his eyes and pulled a less-ratty pair of cargo shorts out of his bag and switched. "Better?" He asked sarcastically.

"Marginally. A very _small_ margin."

"Come on, Kurt, we're just going to the campus to get their promo stuff. My guess is that we're gonna see much worse clothes than that out there," Blaine protested. Sebastian found that he didn't feel any better with Blaine defending him, but he wasn't about to back down or ask Kurt for fashion advice. He'd been so eager to spend a weekend mostly naked with the boys he'd barely even looked at what he'd packed.

"You don't complain about what I wear in Lima," Bas muttered to Kurt as they headed for the door.

"That's because what you wear in Lima is bland but acceptable. As long as you don't pop the collars, which, thankfully, you seem to have grown out of. If I had any say in it, both those pairs of shorts would be trash," Kurt replied archly, sweeping past the others toward his Navigator.

Bas steamed silently while they drove to the university. Walking from the parking lot to the admissions office, they saw a number of students spread across the lawns. Apparently the summer semester kept a decent amount of students attending.

A frisbee whirred at them and Kurt flinched away from it, glaring at the boys who had thrown it. Blaine looked back at Kurt's huff of scorn and saw Sebastian had snagged the disc out of the air and stopped to return it to the shirtless blonde who had missed the catch.

"Hey, killer. Did you miss that on purpose?" Bas flirted. Kurt froze and Blaine, still looking back, dropped his jaw in shock.

"Sorry, man, I didn't see you there," the obviously straight boy replied. He reached for the frisbee.

"Now that's a damned shame," Sebastian said smoothly. He cocked his head and smiled as the boy took the disc.

"Um, well, thanks," the blonde said, hurriedly turning back to his game.

"Anytime," Bas called. He turned to follow Kurt and Blaine and raised an eyebrow as Blaine stared and Kurt stood rigidly with his back to Sebastian.

"Bas... What..." Blaine stuttered. He looked at the stricken expression on Kurt's face and then back to Sebastian. "I don't..."

"I'll meet you back at the car," Kurt said, his voice strangely strangled sounding, and he whirled and stalked past Bas without looking at him.

Sebastian's smile turned brittle but stayed in place. "Alright. Just you and me, Blainers," he said loudly, and moved up, turning Blaine and keeping his arm around the shorter boy as he got them moving toward the admin building. Blaine craned his neck to watch Kurt but let himself be guided forward.

"Bas, why did you _do_ that?" Blaine finally asked, his voice strained.

Sebastian snorted. "Do what?"

Blaine spluttered.

Bas guided them into the building and used his charming persona on a secretary to get two copies each of the admissions booklets and forms.

"I hope we'll see you here next fall," the lady said, completely taken in by Sebastian's adorable act.

"Thank you, you're too kind," he schmoozed, and held the door for Blaine as they exited.

Outside, Blaine's confusion grew until it overflowed. "Bas, do you have any idea how much you hurt Kurt earlier?"

"Oh, come on. Our fearless leader can take me eyeing some man candy, can't he?" Sebastian said. The way his shoulders tightened and his tone held razors made Blaine realize that Bas was absolutely aware of what he'd done.

"That's-that's not okay, Sebastian. We are in a relationship. You can't just...flirt with some random guy right in front of us!"

Sebastian sped up, his long strides forcing Blaine to nearly jog to keep up.

Bas rolled his eyes. What a fucking double standard! Kurt could tear him apart for his clothes, but Sebastian couldn't even _look_ at another guy? Maybe this relationship thing wasn't the best idea. Too many strings attached, holding him back.

But a voice in Bas's mind wept at the thought of returning to his lonely existence without Blaine and Kurt.

They got back to the Navigator and Bas scowled when Blaine took the front passenger seat. As usual. It was all well and good that the others _said_ they were all equal, but he knew it wasn't true. He'd always be a third wheel. He threw himself into the back seat and sprawled, keeping his expression superior and aloof, not looking at either of his so-called boyfriends.

"We need to talk, Bas," Kurt said tightly. "But not here."

Sebastian shrugged and looked out the window. "Whatever _you_ say. _Of course_."

Blaine tried to hold Kurt's hand as they drove back to the hotel, but Kurt gave it a quick squeeze and returned his own to clutch the steering wheel. Blaine wilted, and Kurt stared forward.

Back in their room, the click of the door behind them signaled the dam breaking.

"What. The _fuck_. Was _that_ , Sebastian?" Kurt snarled. He stalked up to Bas, who maintained a bored façade. He looked at Kurt, meeting his eyes for the first time since they'd left that morning. The two stared at each other and the moment dragged out. Tears spilled down Kurt's cheeks, and the walls Bas hid behind started to crumble.

Trying desperately to salvage some dignity, Sebastian tried to paste a sneer on his lips, but instead they just twisted painfully. Kurt had hurt him, yes, but he had retaliated viciously and Kurt's beautiful blue eyes looked absolutely shattered.

"I'm sorry," Bas said, the words slipping out without his intent. He gasped and looked down in confusion and shame. "I..." He couldn't speak as his throat closed up.

Kurt's shoulders slumped. He couldn't stand to see his proud Sebastian humbled like that. "Bas. Why did you do that?" He asked gently.

' _Do what_?' Is what Sebastian tried to say, but _Bas_ had other plans. "I'm sorry," he repeated instead.

Kurt sighed. Bas's voice sounded so young. He wondered how many times the boy had said those words to no avail to his horror of a father.

"I appreciate that you regret doing it, honey, but it still happened and we still need to talk about it," Kurt said softly, reaching out to tilt Bas's face to his with two fingers on his chin. One of Bas's eyes twitched closed as if in a flinch, and Kurt's heart broke further.

Sebastian reluctantly met Kurt's eyes. Kurt wasn't crying anymore, and his eyes held compassion and understanding rather than the cold anger Bas had expected. "I'm sorry," he breathed again.

"I know you are. Can you tell me what this is about?"

"I was...mad," Bas confessed.

"At me?"

Bas nodded.

"About what?"

Bas looked down and fiddled with the frayed edge of his pocket. Kurt followed his eyes and saw. " _Oh_."

Kurt looked to Blaine, who had been standing off to one side, and tilted his head to bring him closer. Wrapping his arms around Bas gave Blaine the hint he needed to move in and join the embrace.

"I am sorry my comments about your clothes hurt your feelings, Bas," Kurt whispered.

Sebastian hugged Kurt back, shifting his hip to press against Blaine and include him.

"If I'm being a bitch, you should call me on it the same as I do you when you're being mean, my boy. I want you to, please," Kurt said. Bas nodded, burying his face in Kurt's neck. Kurt looked at Blaine. "I'm sorry I caused this, Blaine."

Blaine closed his eyes, painfully aware that Kurt was doing what he always ended up doing: taking the blame. Even after the Chandler fiasco, Kurt had cried and taken responsibility for everything when he'd begged Blaine to take him back after their dueling duets. Blaine felt that actually had been Kurt's fault initially, but after he'd learned just how devastating his public shaming of Kurt had been to his love, Blaine understood that he'd been part of the whole debacle.

"We all let it get out of hand," Blaine said, petting both boys' backs. "I'm sorry, too."

Bas shuddered, but lifted his head. "Was that a fight?" He asked.

"I'd definitely call it a fight," Kurt agreed, his eyes beginning to smile before his lips.

"So does that mean..."

"Makeup sex!"

 _A/N I learned a term: sexhanger. I guess that's what this is! See you next week..._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Say Goodbye

It didn't take long for the three boys to strip down and fall into bed. Kurt and Bas kissed deeply, wrapping around each other, and Blaine smiled, watching and snuggling behind Kurt, relieved that the two had worked out their difficulties.

Bas twined his body with Kurt's, pressing closer, closer, taking his tongue into his mouth and sucking on it hard. Kurt's body shuddered under the assault and Sebastian eagerly dropped back when Kurt rolled him over and lay on top of him, turning the tables and kissing Bas aggressively.

Blaine scooted closer, running his hand up and down Kurt's back, fondling his ass while attacking Bas's ear and neck. Kurt turned his head and captured Blaine's mouth, owning it so that Blaine whined and trembled. Bas panted against Kurt's neck, and the sounds Blaine made spurred him on to mouth at Kurt's skin. He angled down, careful not to leave marks that Kurt couldn't cover with his regular summer clothes. One good hip grind from Kurt, mashing their cocks together, had Bas biting hard on Kurt's trapezius and sucking a bruising hickey there.

"Ohmygod, _Bas_!" Kurt tore away from Blaine's mouth to cry out with the sting and humped down again. Blaine squeezed Kurt's ass, encouraging him, and it wasn't long before Kurt had to roll off Sebastian, sprawling on his back and gasping, trying to suppress the looming orgasm that had risen at the intensity of the trio's making out.

Bas moaned at the loss of sensation, and Blaine happily attempted to take up the slack, turning Bas's head and kissing him, reaching down to fist his flexing cock.

"Ngh! God, please..." Sebastian moaned against Blaine's mouth, grabbing Blaine's wrist to stop him from making Bas come. "Kurt, Blaine... Both... Now... Fuck..." Bas gasped. Kurt nodded, unseen, and scrambled for the lube.

Tube in hand, Kurt rearranged the other boys, drawing Blaine over to straddle Bas's waist and squeezing slick onto Bas's fingers. Sebastian took the hint and immediately went to work fingering Blaine open. Kurt lubed his own fingers and moved Bas's leg, bending it and leaning it against his own body while he started rubbing Bas's taint, teasing his hole with light touches until he begged.

"Kurt! Gah! C'mon, babe, just do it!"

Kurt pressed against the tension and felt Sebastian's body soften for him. The tip of his finger breached the tight ring, and Bas arched. "Yes! Fuck! More!"

Sebastian fucked three fingers into Blaine, moving fast, and Blaine writhed and gibbered. Kurt had to concentrate on his own hand, on his finger, sliding into the heat of Bas, rather than the gorgeous way Blaine took Sebastian's long digits.

"Damnit, Kurt, stretch me with your cock. I love it... Just take me, I need it, Blue Eyes!" Bas growled. Kurt considered how tight Bas felt and pushed in with a second finger. "No! I mean it, Kurt! Fuck me open. I want the ache, please..."

Kurt's restraint was in tatters. The pleading was too much. He rose swiftly, snagging two pillows and moving to the foot of the bed, grabbing Bas's ankles and pulling him to the edge. Blaine didn't move fast enough, and his cock was suddenly in Bas's face. Sebastian took advantage and sucked him eagerly.

"Aaahh! Bas! Oh!" Blaine cried. Kurt laughed and lubed himself and Bas's cock as well, then dropped the tube of slick next to them on the bed. Lifting Bas's legs to his shoulders, Kurt slid one arm under the long torso and raised Sebastian's hips, shoving the pillows beneath him and quickly moving into position.

Resting the head of his cock against Bas's opening, Kurt hesitated.

"Do id!" Sebastian mumbled around his mouthful of Blaine, and Kurt pushed forward. Bas cried out, sounding much louder and more pained than Kurt thought was okay, and he froze.

"Bas?" Kurt gasped. The long cry ended. "Blaine, move back," Kurt ordered. Blaine complied. "Sebastian, honey..."

Bas sucked in a huge breath. "Perfect! God, please, I need..." Bas choked. "More!"

Kurt was helpless not to give Bas what he wanted, not with his own need burning like a wildfire inside him. He slid forward, trying to control it, but Bas's cries encouraged him, spurred him on, and he finally sank completely into the hot tight sheath of his boyfriend's body.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Bas chanted.

"Sweetheart, come on, time to give him both," Kurt gasped to Blaine. Obediently, Blaine rose up and let Kurt steady Bas's erection for him so he could lower onto it.

"FUCK!" Sebastian yelled. Kurt drew back and thrust forward, and gripped Blaine's hips and directed his movements as well, finding a counterpoint rhythm that made Sebastian lose the ability to form words.

Into the perfect embrace of Bas's ass, pushing Blaine up, almost off, then drawing back and watching Blaine sink down, taking Sebastian into his body, Kurt shook from head to toe. It was a gorgeous dance, and the animal sounds Bas was choking out just added to the experience.

Because Sebastian had never felt anything like it. Fucking and being fucked had driven his higher brain function away. All he knew was pleasure and heat, sliding in and on and around, and he could hear Blaine whimpering and Kurt grunting and it was more than he could stand but it went on and on anyway, burning him up inside until all that was left was love and lust and need and he came, screaming, and Blaine came, and Kurt rammed into him, subsuming him and giving him everything he'd ever wanted or needed and Kurt kept going, drawing out Bas's orgasm until the last thing he was aware of was Kurt's climactic cry and the dull throb of Kurt pumping his come into Sebastian's willing body.

Everything faded to darkness.

~~Glee~~

"-like that time you made me come twice," Blaine's voice said, with a little bit of an echoey sound.

"But you just kind of grayed out, you didn't actually lose consciousness," Kurt said, and the worry in his tone made Bas force his eyes open.

"Oh, fuck..." Sebastian groaned.

"Are you okay, honey?" Kurt asked immediately, touching Bas's cheek and kissing his forehead. Blaine clutched Sebastian's hand, and Bas squeezed it.

"I'm fantastic," he said, a smirk starting to pull at his lips just before Kurt kissed him.

Bas realized he must have blacked out for a while when he noticed he was up on the bed and didn't feel the sticky squelch of lube anywhere. He hummed.

"Can we nap now?"

Kurt giggled and Blaine agreed enthusiastically. Both of them snuggled against Bas from either side, and they let themselves drift.

Sebastian felt warm and safe and surrounded, in contrast to how uncomfortable he'd been the first time the boys had lay with him like that. It was amazing to sense how Blaine's arm across his waist grew heavy and pressed him into the mattress, and how Kurt's soft breath grazed across his neck, cool and light. Bas dozed, happier than he'd ever felt.

After a nap, they ordered lunch and lounged as they ate, then made out at a leisurely pace.

~~Glee~~

That night, Blaine fell asleep first, and Kurt smiled as he stroked his fingers across the sleeping face of the first boy he'd ever truly loved. He looked across and could see that Bas was awake, watching him.

"I know we agreed that we both would get too warm in the middle, but I'd really like to fall asleep holding you, Bas," Kurt said softly. He heard Sebastian's throat click as he swallowed. "Can I come around to your side?"

"I...yes," Bas said. Kurt carefully got out of the bed, tucking a pillow in his place against Blaine and making sure he was covered before he rounded to the other side. Bas held the sheet up, and Kurt slid in beside him.

Kissing Bas, Kurt snuggled against the long body and gently ran his fingers through Bas's silky hair. "Mmm," Kurt hummed. "You feel so good, honey."

Sebastian nuzzled against Kurt's throat, winding his arms around him until they were pressed tight from head to knees. His body trembled at the intimacy, with a learned fear warning him that Kurt was eventually going to abandon him just like everyone else.

"Shh. It's okay, Bas. I'm here."

A tiny whimper escaped against Bas's best efforts. He couldn't stop now that his mind had begun down its negative path. Today, that snarky condescension that Kurt had employed about his shorts, and the not-quite-sincere apology burned in Sebastian's gut. He struggled with himself, trying to think of all the ways Kurt was good to him, but he heard the sweet, affectionate endearments Kurt used with Blaine and how more than anything Kurt simply called Bas 'my boy' rather than anything that implied caring, and he thought of all the times he felt so much the outsider in this relationship. Tears leaked from his closed eyes even as Bas breathed the scent of Kurt, but his body shook harder.

"Bas...do you want me to stop? Are you uncomfortable?"

Bas shrank back. Kurt just wanted to sleep, and he was clinging like a stupid girl.

"I'm sorry. We can just sleep. I'm sorry," Bas whispered miserably.

"What? Why are you sorry? Am I crowding you? I just wanted to be close to you, my boy."

"You don't have to hold me like I'm some girl. I'm fine."

Kurt was baffled. "Honey, what-"

"Guys? Is everything okay?" Blaine asked, his voice mumbling in half-sleep.

"It's fine. Look, why don't you two get your cuddle on. I'm not really tired," Bas said, and tried to get out of the bed.

"Sebastian, what the fuck is going on?" Kurt snapped, annoyance clear in his voice. Bas struggled harder, becoming desperate to get out from under the covers and away from the other boys. Kurt grabbed his arm and he gasped, an icicle of fear stabbing him. In the dim light, Bas saw Kurt's other hand heading for his face and he flinched hard.

"Bas, what's wrong?" Blaine cried as Sebastian scrambled from the bed and into a defensive crouch, wrenching his arm from Kurt's grasp.

Kurt hit the switch at the bedside and the lamp there flickered on. He stared at Bas's chalk white face and felt the blood drain from his own.

"I'm sorry, Bas. I'm so sorry I scared you," Kurt said in a high, thin voice.

The contrast of Kurt's higher pitched voice with his father's low growls brought Sebastian out of the terror reaction. He flushed with shame even as he met Kurt's concerned gaze.

"You hurt me, Kurt," Bas blurted, then wished he could grab the words back.

"What? When? What happened?" Blaine asked, looking back and forth between them. But they didn't even seem to hear him as they stared at each other.

"I'm sorry if I grabbed your arm too hard," Kurt said, his voice still strained and high.

Bas shook his head. "I'm not going to stay if you're mean to me." It hadn't been what he wanted to say, but Kurt's deliberate misunderstanding had cut him and he felt like his life was bleeding out onto the floor. He needed Kurt and Blaine, but he hated how vulnerable they made him. A few words, a look, and he'd been devastated. That was unacceptable. No one could see him care about anything because then they had the power to tear him apart.

A strangled sob escaped Kurt. Tears spilled down his cheeks and he covered his mouth with his fingers.

"Kurt... Bas... I don't..." Blaine stammered.

"I'm a horrible person," Kurt whispered. "I hurt you and then I couldn't admit it and I hurt you worse and... I'm so sorry, Bas!"

"You're not a horrible person! Bas, please, just tell him..." Blaine was feeling a helpless panic rising inside him.

Sebastian and Kurt continued to stare at each other, sobs shaking Kurt.

The moment attenuated, and it was finally Blaine who broke it.

"Don't do this! We all screw up sometimes! Please, can you forgive each other? I thought we were done with this. Don't... Please don't... Bas, Kurt apologized! What else do you want?"

Bas broke his gaze from Kurt's and looked at Blaine. What _did_ he want? He looked back to Kurt.

"You made me feel worthless. With one look, you tore me apart. I can't... I don't know what to do with that. No one has ever been so close to me that they could hurt me like that. It scares me, so much, knowing you can do that."

Blaine flung himself off the bed and onto the floor next to Bas. He threw his arms around the tall boy.

Kurt went cold. The tears stopped, swallowed up by a yawning abyss where his heart had been. He watched Blaine comforting Bas and nodded to himself. This was it. He'd ruined the best thing in his life- the only thing he had left with his dreams of New York gone.

Standing on legs that shook, Kurt went to the closet and started packing.

"What are you doing?" Bas asked.

"I'm sorry. I hurt you and now you and Blaine... I'm sorry. I hope you can be happy, and-"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Bas roared, leaping to his feet, leaving Blaine gaping up at him.

Kurt turned and stared at him. "I'm leaving you two to each other. I don't deserve you."

"No!" Blaine wailed. Kurt closed his eyes and hugged himself.

"I'm sorry."

Sebastian couldn't believe how far Kurt was going in overreacting. Leaving him and Blaine to each other just because Blaine was trying to comfort him was completely insane. Something in him snapped. He started to laugh.

Blaine stared up at him. Kurt's eyes popped open and bugged out, anger rising.

"Drama! So much fucking drama! I've been infected by the McKinley high glee club drama. Jeez, Kurt. You hurt my feelings, I freaked out, now you're going to just leave? This is stupid! Get back here so we can kiss and make up and go to sleep," Bas said.

Kurt slowly put his handful of hanging clothes back into the closest. He walked very deliberately over to Bas and held his hand down to Blaine without looking at him. Blaine took the offered support and rose to his feet.

"Bas, you can laugh it off if you want, but drama like this, that you started, is there because there's more going on than we admit. I was thoughtless and cruel to you, and I am sorry for that. It hurts me to know that I'm capable of making you feel awful," Kurt twisted his fingers together. "But you hurt me back, and after we talked it was supposed to be over, and then when I asked to hold you, you started crying and-"

"I did not start crying!"

"You got all defensive like you are now, and I don't know what I did wrong, wanting to be close with you. I think you've got stuff in your head, from your past, and it makes you push me away and I think you need to see someone about that."

"So just because I don't like to cuddle there's something wrong with me and I need a shrink?!"

"That's not what he said!" Blaine interjected.

"You love being held, Bas. I know you do, but it sometimes triggers you and-"

"Drama! You're fucking crazy! I'm not a girl, Kurt, so you and Blaine can just get your girly feelings and snuggles on without me, okay?" Bas snarled. Kurt recoiled like he'd been slapped.

"Don't do that, Bas, please," Kurt murmured.

"Stop it right now! I don't know what happened after I fell asleep but it can't be so bad as to suddenly break us up!" Blaine yelled. The other boys turned to him in surprise. Blaine dropped his voice. "I don't want us fighting. Why you guys hurt each other like this... I don't get it. Can't we just be happy together? Can't we just enjoy that we get to spend a night with all three of us and we don't have to get up and go to separate places right away in the morning?"

Kurt's breath stuttered and he blinked back tears. "I want that. But what do you want?" He asked, turning to Bas.

Sebastian's eyes darted back and forth between them and the tension in his shoulders drained out. He shrugged. "I guess I just wanna sleep, too. With you."

Kurt leaned in and softly kissed Bas's cheek. "Okay." He took Bas's hand in his, and Blaine's in the other and led them back to bed. They maintained that order with Kurt in the middle, and it didn't matter that he was too hot; he wasn't about to complain. The push and pull of the emotional day and night made him desperately want to just sleep for as long as he could to escape it.

The next morning, they were careful and considerate of one another to an almost absurd extreme. None of them wanted to do anything that would bring them back to the trauma of fighting and making up and then the late night drama. They had breakfast from room service, and then had sex again, with more focus and solemnity than ever before.

Kurt held both boys with their heads on his shoulder and chest afterwards, and smiled when they kissed each other across his body before they all settled into a doze.

A final round in the tub and shower had Kurt's dick actually getting a bit sore, and they packed up slowly.

When they left the room, Kurt found himself feeling actual relief. As wonderful as most of their time had been, the bad part had been especially bad, and he was eager to let it go and get back to normal.

~~Glee~~

Unfortunately, Blaine had not been as meticulous as Bas about keeping the marks on Kurt's body in places where they wouldn't show. When Kurt got back home Sunday evening, exhausted in the most delicious way he could ever imagine, his father stopped him on the stairs.

"Looking at colleges, huh?" Burt asked.

"Yeah, we went to the OSU campus. I don't think Blaine or Bas will want to stay in Ohio, but it's a good school and it was worth checking out," Kurt replied, looking over his shoulder with a smile.

"Kurt... I'm concerned about this... Arrangement you three have made."

Kurt frowned, tension making his stomach clench. "Why are you worried? We're happy."

Burt looked uncomfortable. "Come back down here and let's have a real conversation about this."

"Dad, I'm tired," Kurt protested, really wanting to avoid talking with his dad about anything while he still felt tender from the emotional roller coaster.

"Sorry kiddo."

Burt's tone told Kurt there was no avoiding it, though.

They sat at the kitchen table.

"Remember when we had that talk about sex and-"

"Ohmygod, Dad! I'm not discussing that with you again!"

"We don't have to get into details, Kurt, but from those marks on your neck, I pretty much know that you all did more than see a show and walk the campus, alright?"

Kurt's hand fluttered to his neck and he tugged his collar, face red, silently cursing Blaine for working the spot that always drove him crazy. Scarf tomorrow. It was too hot for a turtleneck.

"Tell me you all are being safe," Burt continued. Kurt's blush spread and his ears felt like they were glowing. Not using condoms wasn't safe, except that Bas had gotten tested, so it was. Kurt didn't want to try to explain the distinction to his father, though, so he just nodded.

"I'm sure this is all exciting and fun, you guys doing...what you're doing, but I think the risk of you guys hurting each other is really increased exponentially with having a third person involved."

"We've talked about it, with all three of us. We check in with each other. We have...rules," Kurt said, trying to keep it vague and still hide how on the nose his father's comments were.

"It's kinda hard to control feelings with rules, son."

"Dad, we're being as careful with our emotional selves as we are with our bodies. This isn't something we're doing for the thrill. We really do care about each other," he said, realizing that he was really speaking the core truth of the situation. They weren't doing it for kinky sex, they were doing it because they were emotionally involved.

"I just want you to be happy, kid. This thing is kind of..." Burt looked lost.

"I know, Dad. But we _are_ happy. I promise."

Burt nodded and sighed, waving his son toward his room.

~~Glee~~

The summer ground on. It was hot, and the people at The Lima Bean sucked. Kurt hated the job, but none of the clothing stores around had any openings. Bas generally paid from his trust fund for their meals out and delivered, and with Kurt keeping his new clothes budget to a minimum, he was able to save a good bit of money. Blaine was working at Six Flags again, singing in a barber shop quartet for patrons who mostly ignored them. He was getting very tan, though, and Sebastian teased him about the contrast from the pale skin below his collar and above his shirt sleeves. Kurt shushed him, loving the golden tones of Blaine's tan.

Bas filled his free time with a summer lacrosse league and online advanced placement classes. He pouted that he wouldn't need to keep himself so occupied if his boyfriends weren't working too much, but they knew he was teasing them because he wanted to see them more. What they didn't know was that he was also rehearsing a song for them.

Kurt found himself listening to Frank Sinatra songs and humming one particularly appropriate song, thinking of the wonderful times the trio were having when they actually got to spend time together.

When the boys had any collective free time, they inevitably ended up at Bas's apartment, watching tv and having sex.

As the beginning of the school year drew near, their time with all three gained a desperate edge. Once Bas had to move back to Westerville into the Dalton dorms, and Blaine started the fall semester of his senior year at McKinley, they would have more difficulty finding opportunities to be together. Kurt listlessly perused the Community College class list and sullenly enrolled. He felt conflicted, wanting desperately to go to New York, no matter what it meant for his love life, while his heart broke at the thought of being so far from Bas and Blaine. He saw his father watching him and tried to get his content, confident façade back into place. He doubted he fooled anyone.

Blaine's Six Flags job finished up the week before school started, and Bas's online classes had concluded before then. Their last weekend of summer, Kurt asked permission to stay at Bas's Saturday night, and Burt grudgingly agreed. Blaine's parents hadn't had any issue with him staying over "with friends" off and on all summer, and they didn't mind that night either.

Kurt made his best French meal for them, and they ate by candlelight, sharing bites. Once the dishes were rinsed and put into the dishwasher, Bas cleared his throat and refrained from sitting with Blaine and Kurt on his sofa.

"I have a little something for you guys. Kind of a bon voyage to summer I guess. I've been working on a-a...song, for you. I know we had planned to sing stuff together but that never really... So, can I do it now?" Sebastian said, his words filled with his vulnerable uncertainty. Kurt smiled up at him and he calmed down a little. Blaine clapped excitedly and both of them turned their attention to him. "I'll take that as a yes," Bas snarked without venom.

Fiddling with his phone, Bas soon had background music and he began to sing.

" _Have you ever fed a lover with just your hands_?"

Kurt's breath caught and Blaine grabbed his hand and squeezed. Bas sang 'Glitter in the Air' with his whole heart in his voice and on his face, and it was beautiful. The song amped up and Blaine's grip grew tighter with his reaction while Kurt's eyes filled with tears.

" _Have you ever held your breath and asked yourself will it ever get better than tonight? Tonight..._ " Bas finished, the last note hanging until it disappeared into silence. Kurt rose, Blaine following through his still-attached handhold, and stepped up to Sebastian.

The look on Kurt and Blaine's faces was humbling. Bas had never truly serenaded anyone and their reactions were incredible. He had seen Kurt look that adoringly at Blaine before, like he could do no wrong and he'd hung the moon, but he couldn't recall ever having the look directed at him. His chest felt tight, too small for the expansive sensation of his heart swelling inside it. Blaine looked ready to start to sing and dance, too, his gorgeous eyes sparkling and happy.

Bas's attention returned to Kurt when the boy cupped his cheek with his soft palm. They looked at each other for a long moment, and Sebastian felt his cheeks flushing red, then Kurt leaned in and kissed him, and his stomach flipped, dropping to his knees, then up to his throat, and it was such a tender, amazing kiss that Bas couldn't even move or breathe.

When Kurt drew back, he watched how Sebastian's eyes stayed closed and he suddenly gasped for air like he'd surfaced from underwater.

"My turn, my sweet boys," Kurt said softly, giving Blaine's hand a warning press before he let go. He pushed Bas gently toward Blaine, who hugged him and raised on his toes to kiss the tall boy before they sat down on the sofa. Sebastian put his arm around Blaine's shoulders and Blaine leaned eagerly into him, resting his head on Bas's chest as they both watched Kurt raptly.

"I haven't really been rehearsing this, but the song has been stuck in my head for weeks as I think of you, so..." Kurt introduced, then took his performance posture and a preparatory breath.

 _"I've got you...under my skin..._ " Kurt sang. The tempo wasn't full, swinging Frank Sinatra, but he hadn't slowed it down to a weepy ballad, either. He just sang it in the most heartfelt way he could, and he saw a tear track down Blaine's cheek after the line about the little voice of doubt that Blaine knew had always been in Kurt's mind about everything. His first love knew him so well.

With the last verse, Kurt added some playful shimmying and winks, and both boys jumped up to hug him as he finished singing.

"Oh, Blue Eyes, that was fantastic," Bas murmured into his ear while Blaine kissed him.

"Can I do one?" Blaine asked. "It's just one of my quartet songs, but I always change the lyrics in my mind thinking of you two."

"Of course you can, sweetheart," Kurt replied. He looked at Sebastian for confirmation and received a shining-eyed nod. They shuffled seating again and Kurt and Bas looked up at Blaine's beaming face expectantly.

" _I've got sunshine...on a cloudy day..._ "

When he got to the chorus, Blaine swapped gender and made the line plural.

" _Talkin' bout my guys... My guys..._ "

Blaine was adorable. He flirted through the song, dancing around and making both Sebastian and Kurt smile.

It was a high point in an otherwise bittersweet night together. They made love over and over, switching it up and clinging to each other between bouts. Kurt tried to keep a brave face, but the next day when he and Blaine helped Bas pack for his move back to Dalton, he ended up crying over the horrible cargo shorts he'd criticized earlier in the summer.

"Kurt, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Blaine noticed first and hurried to kneel beside him.

"It's going to be awful with Bas in Westerville again," Kurt sniffled.

Sebastian froze where he stood by his closet. Did his presence in Lima really mean that much to Kurt?

"It'll be alright, Kurt. It'll be better than you being an entire airplane ride away," Blaine said, trying to reassure him. The comment only made him cry more, suddenly reminded again of his failure to get into NYADA.

"Blaine, fuck, would you stop talking like Kurt staying here is good for him?" Bas snapped. Blaine looked up at him and then away guiltily. He was terrified of Kurt leaving, but he knew it was what Kurt wanted. He didn't let himself dwell on it, though, and so he sometimes said thoughtless things. He was glad Bas called him on it.

Kurt pulled himself together and put an end to the mildly negative exchange, insisting that they make a date the following week to go shopping together.

But he didn't even consider asking Bas to get rid of those shorts.

~~Glee~~

Driving all the way to the Lima Bean for coffee every morning that Kurt worked was putting some serious miles on the Porsche, but Sebastian didn't mind at all. What he did mind was how Kurt's voice was starting to sound dull when he spoke, and the flirty flutter of his eyes for Bas when he walked in had gone.

The spark Bas adored in Kurt was dimming right in front of him. He shook his head at Kurt's latest plan to go to McKinley and see if he could help out with the glee club while he stayed in Lima.

"You can't do this. Podunk community college isn't for you, Blue Eyes. It's time for you to get out of this place," Bas told him.

"I... It's just a year. We'll all go to New York next fall. Together. It'll be great, like Blaine said," Kurt replied, trying to believe it.

Bas just shook his head and determined to force Kurt's hand if he had to.

Before he headed back to Westerville, Sebastian sent a text to Blaine, telling him that keeping Kurt in Ohio was killing him. If they really cared about him, they needed to set him free.

The sappy sentiment hit Blaine like an ice bucket challenge and he slumped at his desk as he read it. He was meeting Kurt for lunch, and it was time to prove his love.

"Bas is right. You need to go to New York. I... I'm gonna miss you, Kurt."

"I'm gonna miss you so much," Kurt said after Blaine's typically sweet and wonderful good-bye serenade. His stomach swooped.

He was going to New York.

 _A/N Thank you so much to everyone who's reading and especially to those who have taken the time to review! From where I'm at writing near the end of the story, I estimate 18-20 chapters will be it for this. Just fyi_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N I warned before that this will use canon elements by my whim, and now I have realized that I am also rearranging time as well (When Kurt started working at the diner, when Santana and Dani got together among other things). I hope you'll all forgive the license taken._

Chapter Eight

High Tide

Living in New York City was amazing for Kurt. He and Rachel found an incredible deal on a warehouse apartment, and even with the distance they had to travel to get to Manhattan, it was worth it. He got a job as a singing waiter and an internship at , and he started a band and continued practicing his vocal and dance exercises. He forced himself to stay wildly busy to distract from how much he missed Bas and Blaine.

A month after Kurt had left for New York, the laughter among them had slowed and mostly stopped. The novelty of three way masturbatory Skype sessions had paled, and Kurt had begun skipping out on them half the time anyway. Blaine was struggling to concentrate at school, and Bas finally convinced him to meet him at the Lima Bean to talk.

They sat at a table in the far corner, and Bas was definitely concerned at Blaine's lack of his usual bouncy sparkle. Instead of smiling and meeting Bas's eyes, Blaine stared at his cup, looking uncharacteristically sullen.

"So what's up, Blainers?" Bas asked.

"Nothing," Blaine mumbled.

"I miss him, too."

Blaine looked up at that. "I don't know how I can last almost a year like this."

"What's the worst part for you? For me it's the disappointment when he keeps cancelling."

"Um..."

"It's me, Blaine. I'm right here, and you can tell me anything."

"I think I'm a sex addict," Blaine finally confessed, his lips puffing into a pout that would have been funny if not for the tears in his eyes.

"What-what do you mean? What have you done, Blaine?" A fierce protectiveness rose in Bas. If Blaine hurt Kurt, betrayed him, he didn't know what he would do.

"I'm rubbing myself raw and still not..."

Bas's shoulders relaxed. "And still not what?" He asked calmly.

"Still not satisfied. I'm horny all the time, Bas. I miss him so much!"

"Oh, baby... I understand. He's just so... He's like a sex prodigy."

Blaine nodded his agreement, his face set in a hangdog expression.

"And I never expected to be a size queen, but damn, I miss his porn star cock."

Blaine choked on a suppressed sob. "Uh-huh!"

"Maybe we could..."

"Kurt gets jealous."

"I was thinking he'd be on Skype and tell us what to do."

"I don't think he'll be okay with that."

"I think we should ask, the next time he actually keeps a date with us. He's calling and texting you everyday, isn't he?" Bas had to ask, because Kurt wasn't doing those things for him, but Blaine was different.

"Most days... He's missed a few," Blaine said, blinking rapidly. Bas put his hand on top of the other boy's, and Blaine clutched at it.

"I'm sorry."

They commiserated for another hour, then headed back to their homes.

Bas texted Kurt that night.

From Bas: you need to keep better contact with Blaine

From Kurt (2 hours later): we're fine, Bas

From Bas (immediately): no you're not. Saw him today

From Kurt: you're getting together without telling me?

From Bas: we both texted you. You never responded. Blaine's really down, Kurt

From Kurt: I'll text him tomorrow. I'm exhausted

From Bas: don't be a baby. At least text him goodnight right now

From Kurt to Blaine: goodnight sweetie

From Kurt to Bas: just did. Now can I go to sleep?

From Bas: yes but we've all gotta talk soon. Tomorrow?

From Kurt: can't

From Bas: Friday night?

From Kurt: probably

From Bas: make it happen, Blue Eyes

From Kurt: goodnight, my pushy boy

From Bas: goodnight sweet and benevolent prince

From Kurt: :-)

Bas started pestering Kurt with texts on Friday afternoon. Reminders, snide comments, and innuendo; anything to try to make sure Kurt made it a priority.

From Kurt: I GET IT. 8pm. I won't cancel. Stop texting me

From Bas: I'm just taking care of Blaine. Someone needs to

Kurt had to take a minute in the men's room after that. He thought frantically about what Blaine had said when they'd last spoken, and he couldn't figure out anything that should have had him in need of extra care.

From Kurt: what's that supposed to mean?

From Kurt: Bas?

From Kurt: fine. I'll talk to you tonight

He hesitated, then texted Blaine.

From Kurt: are you okay?

From Blaine: yes

From Kurt: I love you

From Blaine: me too

Back in his workspace, sorting sketches for Isabelle, he didn't notice her until she was right beside him, he was so distracted worrying about Blaine and Bas. Her gentle hand on his shoulder made him jump so hard it was like a comedy as pages flew off the table.

"Whoa, Kurt, honey, what's gotten into you?"

"I'm fine. Let me just-"

"Leave them for a second. I really want to know what's going on that's got you so rattled."

Kurt sucked his lips into his mouth, contemplating how much he might say to his boss. She seemed sincerely interested, so he decided to tell her something vague but true.

"My boyfriend is back in Ohio, and... I don't think we're handling the separation as well as we'd hoped."

Isabelle nodded, and he felt like she was actually thinking about what to say. It was a nice change from all the people he knew who spewed verbal diarrhea all over the place.

"Some couples take a separation like college as a time to explore what it's like being with other people."

Kurt shook his head slightly and answered honestly. "I see a lot of attractive boys and men here, but none of them tempt me at all. I'm in love."

"If you're meant to be together..."

"I don't believe in fate. We create our own future through our choices and actions."

Isabelle gave him a tiny smile. "Does that help you know what you need to do?"

Kurt's breath caught in surprise. "Yes. I think it does. Thank you, Isabelle."

~~Glee~~

At 7:45, Kurt was almost home and texted Bas.

From Kurt: I will be home by 8. Will you please tell me what to expect?

From Bas: he's lonely Kurt.

From Kurt: but you're still there. If anyone should be lonely it's me

From Bas: he's being very careful not to make you jealous

From Kurt: you can see each other! I never said you couldn't

From Bas: just talk to him. And LISTEN

From Kurt: call at 8:15- I want you in on this conversation

From Bas: okay

Kurt got inside and took his coat off, grabbing a bottle of water before he called Blaine.

"Kurt! Hi!" Blaine's voice sounded as excited as ever.

"Hi sweetheart. It's good to hear your voice."

"Oh god, it's good to hear you. It's like I didn't know that I was holding my breath."

"Sweetie, um, according to Bas you definitely knew something wasn't right. What's going on? Why did he have to text me and tell me you need me?"

"I can't believe he told you that! I-"

"Why wouldn't he? Are you keeping secrets or something?"

"No! No, Kurt. I just... I miss you. I miss you so much..."

"I miss you, too. I'm sorry I don't say it more."

"Some days you don't say anything at all," Blaine said quietly.

"How can you... I have explained how busy I am. I have apologized. What else-"

Bas's phone number rang in and Kurt sighed. "I'm going to bring Bas on the line, alright?"

"Okay."

"Bas? We're both here."

"Hey guys! I guess we can get the party started, now, huh? Did you start the phone sex without me?"

"Kurt was explaining how busy he is," Blaine said, his voice dull with resentment.

"What, _again_? C'mon, Blue Eyes, don't give us the broken record! Tell us how you're switching things around so you have time for us. You know how much supervision we need. You wouldn't want us to do anything stupid, would you?"

Kurt stopped breathing. Bas was trying to tell him something, and the knot that twisted in Kurt's stomach told him it was serious. "I don't want you to do anything stupid," Kurt whispered.

Bas knew Kurt understood then. "So, are you gonna lift the 'not-without-all-three-of-us' rule, or direct us via Skype, or just take better care of us some other way?"

"Blaine... What do you need, darling?" Kurt refocused on the person this really was about.

"I don't know. I just... I miss you, Kurt. I miss you and it hurts so much when you cancel a call or Skype... When I go a whole day without even a text, it's like I start dying inside."

"Okay. Alright. I... I don't know how I'll do it, but I will be better. Can you two get together sometimes? I... I don't think I can handle if you have sex without me, but... You're boyfriends. You should see each other."

"It's hard to see each other and not want to touch or anything," Blaine said.

"I...I'm sorry. Maybe just... No orgasms? You could kiss and hold hands and even make out," Kurt's insides lurched at the thought of them doing that, and his fear of them breaking up with him rose like a spectre that blocked part of the sun. "I don't know..."

"Blue Eyes, I want you to be a part of us for anything heavy. Blaine does, too. So, kissing and holding hands, hugs... Blainers, do you think that would help? I could come by and we could watch a movie or study together once or twice a week?"

"I would love to see you more, Bas. Kurt, do you think..."

"What, sweetie?"

"If we're on Skype and Bas and I are together... Maybe you could direct us to go a little further sometimes? Not too often, but just... I miss having someone else touch me, and if you're telling us what to do, it's almost like you're here."

"We... Um, we can try that sometime. I don't know if I will be able to, but, yes, sometime."

"Next weekend?" Bas asked.

"I don't-"

"We need to have a plan you'll stick to, Kurt."

Kurt sighed and mentally pushed band practice back. He could just skip dinner. "Sunday afternoon?"

"Yes, that's great!" Blaine said.

"I can make that work. Then maybe we can just schedule one of those each month or something. And then Blaine and I can try to find a weekend to come to New York for the real thing."

Kurt tried not to cry but sniffled anyway.

"Kurt?"

"I'm fine. Really. I'll text you both tomorrow, alright? And then on Sunday..."

"Great!" Blaine enthused.

They signed off, but Kurt's phone buzzed almost immediately with a text.

From Bas: I know you're not okay

From Kurt: what's wrong with me? Why am I jealous of the thought of you two?

From Bas: you're a controlling, uptight person. So what? We still care about you and want to be with you

From Kurt: I'm scared you'll pair off and I'll be all alone

From Bas: I don't want just Blaine. I am greedy and I want you both. I'm never going to pair up with him

From Kurt: really?

From Bas: fuck yeah. I want that porn star dick or nothing

From Kurt: :-P

From Bas: ;-*

From Kurt: thank you

From Bas: always

~~Glee~~

Sunday afternoon came too fast for Kurt's liking. The threesome's texts the previous day had been light and flirty, but Kurt was dreading watching Blaine and Bas get each other off. He'd chosen a time when he had the apartment to himself, not wanting the sound of his voice to travel through the draperies that cordoned off his bedroom.

"H-how do you want to... Do it?" Kurt asked when they'd connected. He tried to lift his chin and find his mask of superiority, but he could tell that Bas at least could see right through him. Blaine was practically bouncing like a horny puppy, and Kurt tried to focus on his needs. "What do you need, sweetheart?"

"Oh god, anything! I'm ready to burst right now! It's so hot with you watching!"

"Well, I think you probably need to be naked..." Kurt suggested, smiling a little with genuine amusement at Blaine's antics. Bas caught his attention, gesturing urgently, and Kurt cleared his throat. "Bas, would you please undress our beautiful boyfriend before he soils those awesome jeans?"

"You don't have to say please, you know," Bas said in a low voice. Blaine gasped, and wriggled as the tall boy tugged his tie free, then stripped his shirt off.

"Yeah. Yeah. Just tell us what to do," Blaine panted.

Bas helped Blaine take the rest of his clothes off, then removed his own while Kurt told Blaine to stroke himself.

Sebastian moved to sit at the head of the bed with his legs spread, and Kurt thought he could tell what he was suggesting.

"Blaine, sweetie, move up the bed and lean back against Bas," Kurt said. He hesitated, the words telling them to have anal sex together drying his throat to silence.

"Yeah, Blainers, let me hump my cock against your ass while I jerk you off for Kurt," Bas said, and Kurt's breath heaved out in a rush. He met Bas's gaze and tried to convey his gratitude. The half-smile he received in return reassured him that the message had been understood.

Bas took charge of the lube, slicking himself behind Blaine's back, then reaching around to start stroking Blaine.

"I want you both to come," Kurt said softly.

"You too, Kurt," Blaine said. "Please? Will you jerk off with us?"

Kurt blushed but nodded. He quickly got himself naked, then started fisting his cock.

"We're not gonna come until you do, Blue Eyes," Bas said. Blaine whined a little, but Bas just laughed. "Tell him how it feels, baby," he whispered to Blaine.

"I can feel... I feel Bas's cock sliding between my cheeks... I... I kinda want him to just slide down and into me, but... Mmm, this is good, too. Like...teasing..."

"You like teasing sometimes, don't you, Blaine?" Kurt asked, starting to relax into the moment. Blaine nodded, writhing. "How about you, Bas, how does Blaine feel?"

"He's so hard for you, Kurt..."

"And his ass? How does it feel?"

"Oh, fuck, it's warm and plush and has more give, but it's like... Being held... Cradled. Thank you, Kurt... Oohh, feels so good..." Bas groaned.

Kurt sped his own pace, the low grunts and the flush spreading across Blaine's chest while his cock disappeared and then peeked out of Bas's fist turning him on.

"Kurt, oh, I-I-I-"

Bas's fingers clamped down on Blaine's cock, down at the base, preventing him from coming. Blaine mewled and shifted.

"Oh, please... Kurt... I wanna come..." Blaine whimpered.

"Not yet, sweetheart. Bas, hump him good. Make him feel how hard you are."

Bas's face was reddening, too, as he obeyed, moving Blaine's body with his thrusts.

Bas stroked Blaine a few more times until he gasped again, then denied him.

"Ohmygod, Bas... Yes... Control him for me. Don't let him come."

"Not til you do, Blue Eyes," Bas replied, gasping.

Kurt pumped his fist, bringing himself closer and closer.

"Oh, Kurt, so gorgeous," Bas moaned.

"Kurt, yes, Kurt, please," Blaine grunted.

That was what did it; his boys, saying his name, over and over.

"I'm- Yes!" Kurt curled over his fist as he climaxed, and blinked at the screen through it as Bas jerked Blaine into shouting as he shot his load onto his belly and Bas's own head dropped back, Kurt's name his orgasm cry.

They all cleaned up, and Bas and Blaine got loosely dressed again before they signed off, Blaine looking relaxed, laughing and happy, Bas watching Kurt, who kept his expression in a smile until the window on his laptop closed.

Then he sat on his bed and cried.

~~Glee~~

That night Kurt went to Elliott's apartment for rehearsal for their band, ignoring how his stomach rumbled, and the handsome boy immediately knew something was wrong with Kurt. Dani had cancelled, so it was just the two of them, intending to work on their arrangement for a new song. Elliott decided that could wait, though, and he sat Kurt down with a cup of tea and insisted he tell him everything.

"So... You've been Domming them from the beginning," Elliott surmised.

"Domming?"

"Dominating. BDSM. They're your subs- submissives."

"Do I look like some kind of sadistic leather daddy to you?"

Elliott laughed. "As hot as you look in those leather pants you sometimes wear, no, I don't think a full leather biker outfit would suit you. A leather catsuit, or..." He shook himself out of the burgeoning fantasy of Kurt in leather. "The clothes aren't what I'm talking about. The lifestyle. You are the one who controls the relationship. And while it sounds like Bas might be up for playing along, it sounds to me like Blaine needs it."

Kurt's heart fell. "If Blaine needs someone to-to Dominate him, then this is doomed. I could never hurt him."

"It's not about inflicting pain, Kurt. Not always, or even ever if you guys don't want to do that. It's about an exchange of power. It's about control. And I know you know all about that."

Kurt blushed and looked away.

"Do you want my advice?"

"I...don't know."

"Blaine needs to feel like you're there for him, all the time, or at least more often than you have been. Control him. Tell him what he can and can't do. Short texts, with orders... I bet that would work wonders for him."

"What kind of _orders_?"

"Anything, Kurt! Tell him what to eat, or that he can't use the word pink all day... Or you could make it all about sex. Tell him he has to get off a prescribed number of times each day, or that he can't get off at all one day. Make him edge himself and not come. _Control him._ "

Kurt's mouth was open, and he closed it quickly. "You think he wants that?"

"I think that if you try a few of those things that you'll make him feel cared for and safe. That's what he really wants."

Kurt's mind was awhirl in ideas and memories of Blaine's reactions to various situations. Blaine did like to be controlled. And Kurt definitely liked controlling... Well, everything, really.

That night, he texted Blaine.

From Kurt: are you up for a game?

From Blaine: sure! What kind?

From Kurt: control

From Blaine: ?

From Kurt: I want to tell you what to do, to control you, and you follow every order

From Blaine: like what?

From Kurt: like... Don't beat off tonight. And tomorrow morning, get up twenty minutes earlier than usual and take an extra long shower. Masturbate in the shower, getting close twice before you come

From Blaine: holy crap! What's gotten into you? That's so hot! Yes! Yes, I'll do it!

Kurt laughed aloud.

From Kurt: I'm glad you like the idea, sweetie. Do you think Bas will want to play, too?

From Blaine: communal showers

From Kurt: I would make his game a little different

From Blaine: I think you should ask him

From Kurt: I will. Be good tonight

From Blaine: oh yes, I definitely will be!

From Kurt to Bas: I've started Blaine on a little game of control. Would you like to play, too?

From Bas: where did this come from?

From Kurt: I want to take care of you two

From Bas: what are you having him do?

From Kurt: abstain tonight and edge himself twice in the shower tomorrow morning before he can come

From Bas: that's really hot, imagining him doing that

From Kurt: would you like some instructions, too?

From Bas: it might be fun to try. What've ya got for me, Hummel?

From Kurt: sometime in the next twenty-four hours, when you beat off, I want you to finger yourself while you do it

From Bas: !

From Kurt: is that a yes?

From Bas: YES!

From Kurt: good boy

~~Glee~~

Blaine fell asleep that night more easily than he'd expected to. Normally, he masturbated when he turned out the light, and the natural drowsiness afterward had him out quickly. Without the orgasm, he had figured he'd struggle to relax, but instead, even though every thought of Kurt's orders made him hard, the feeling that he was doing what Kurt wanted settled his mind and he drifted off with no problems at all.

He'd never felt more eager to get up early when his alarm went off. His morning erection was extra hard from his abstinence, and once he was in the shower, it didn't take long for him to get close to coming. He tightened his fingers around the base of his cock like Bas had done, panting. He tried to think of unsexy thoughts, but the ever-present awareness that he was obeying Kurt's command made him throb all the more.

Eventually, the need subsided and he slowly stroked himself, savoring the buildup. He remembered the open-mouthed way Kurt had stared at him the previous afternoon, and the hot slide of Bas's dick between his cheeks and his orgasm loomed once again. He leaned against the cold tile, shaking, squeezing hard on his throbbing erection.

His body had only just begun to creep back from the edge when his memory supplied the way Kurt's face had turned red and how his high, shuddering breath had sounded when he came, and Blaine quickly stroked twice and climaxed hard, folding over with the power of it.

Once he'd arrived at school, both Tina and Sam commented on his good mood, and he took a moment to text his gratitude to Kurt.

From Blaine to Kurt: I hope your morning is half as good as mine has been. I love you!

Kurt giggled when he stepped into the noisy kitchen in the middle of the breakfast rush to read it.

From Kurt: it's better now, sweetie. Love you too!

What had been a fun, reassuring pleasure for Blaine was what helped Bas get through a typically crappy Monday.

The new leaders of the Warblers, including the eerily familiar Hunter Clarington, had made it clear that Sebastian wasn't welcome among their ranks this year, and his automatic critical, sneering response to the boys who had come to him in sympathy had alienated him from nearly everyone. The lacrosse field was the only place he felt like he was accepted, though he cynically recognized that was because he was the best player they had.

He refused to admit how lonely his senior year was starting out, but anticipating returning to his room after practice and following Kurt's instructions made it easier to smile and keep his arrogant façade in place through the afternoon.

He stretched out naked on his bed with a half an hour before dinner, a tube of lube on his nightstand. He reread Kurt's text and smiled.

From Bas: I'm about to do as ordered, Blue Eyes. Thought you might want to know ;-)

Kurt saw the text when he was on the subway and squirmed in the seat, glad his satchel was already over his lap. He was relieved he had at least ten more minutes on the train before he had to stand up and try to walk with his erection pressing painfully against his tight pants.

Sebastian stroked himself dry, whispering over his skin, imagining Kurt's reaction to the text. It wasn't long before he reached for the lube and began firmly sliding up and down his shaft, rolling his grip as he'd learned in France. It was a modified version of the motion he'd learned to milk goats with, an embarrassing reason to have gotten so good at handjobs, but highly effective. He vividly recalled both Blaine and Kurt's reactions to it, and the thought of their sounds and expressions ramped up his arousal.

Reaching between his legs with his left hand, he got some of the lube onto his fingers and slipped one into his ass. Rolling his hips, he started breathing harder as he added another finger and tried to get at his prostate. He rubbed his taint with his thumb and that was all it took to get him right to the edge.

He kept himself teetering there for almost a minute, then groaned as he came, looking down at his chest as he spurted over his abs and hand. He shuddered through the aftershocks and lay panting for a while before he cleaned up.

From Bas: good idea, Blue Eyes. I hope Blaine enjoyed his task half as much as I did

Kurt was beginning a shift working the phones at Vogue when the text arrived and he barely noticed that his voice had grown high and breathy until a caller said "Thank you, ma'am," and he had to laugh.

He owed Elliott a solo at their next gig.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Celebrate

Blaine couldn't believe how much better he felt. Kurt texted, sometimes only once a day, but the instructions he gave kept Blaine thinking of him off and on all day, every day. He'd occasionally text Bas to tell him what Kurt had him doing, and Bas always answered with pleased responses, sharing whatever sexy thing Kurt was having him do as well.

But Sebastian didn't tell either of his boyfriends that he was lonely to the point of trying not to cry at night. He was tearing through classwork and weeks ahead already as he kept himself studying until he fell asleep at his desk. He was thinking of enrolling in some online classes to give him even more to do.

Blaine was involved in many clubs, although his favorite was the Secret Society of Super Heroes Club. When he dressed up as Nightbird, he felt like he was powerful like Kurt, and strong like Bas. When some douche bag in the Warblers stole the McKinley Nationals trophy, he was completely ready to face his old friends and retrieve it. He didn't even think to ask Bas for help.

Bas was studying in the library with his earbuds turned up, listening to classic 'N Sync and drowning out anyone else in the room when Blaine arrived and had a confrontation with Hunter. It wasn't until the pause between I Need Love and I Want You Back that he was aware anything was happening. But there was music when there shouldn't have been, and he looked up to see the Warblers dancing and singing My Dark Side with Blaine on lead, a Dalton blazer over his street clothes. Bas pulled his earbuds out with a yank. Of course Hunter would have weaseled Blaine into doing a song with his old friends. The new leader of the choir was ruthless exploiting weaknesses, and he'd have immediately seen how much Blaine missed the Warblers.

" _...don't give up on me. Please remind me who I really am, yeah_!" Blaine sang. Bas stared in shock as the boys made their way through the song. They sounded amazing, and Blaine was a stunning, charming lead.

" _...tell me that you will stay... Promise me you will stay..._ "

In a flash, Bas suddenly saw what a difference it would make for him if Blaine returned to Dalton. His breath caught as he imagined performing again, maybe even with Blaine, and having friends so that his time wasn't eternally spent either studying or working out, always alone.

When that prick Hunter told Blaine that he should come back where he belonged, Bas was filled with longing he'd only felt missing Kurt and Blaine.

Blaine.

At Dalton.

Sebastian closed his eyes as Blaine walked away.

The song got stuck in his head, and he went for a long run with a different playlist to try to clear his mind.

He felt calmer when he hit the showers afterward.

" _...love me... Even with my dark side_?"

"God, Sebastian, we really need you back even more than Blaine!" A voice interrupted Bas's shower and he realized he'd been singing. He turned his head and spotted Trent by his locker.

"Apparently not, if you believe Hunter," Sebastian replied. Trent was the only Warbler who even still spoke to him with civility, so he always tried to reply in kind.

"Your voice is just as good as Blaine's, and you don't make weird faces when you sing. Besides, you're tall. Front men should be tall."

Bas turned off the water, waiting before he turned around so he was certain he wouldn't slip up and defend Blaine. He grabbed his towel and vigorously began drying off.

"I appreciate that, Trent, but we both know it's not gonna happen."

"Are you sure? Maybe if you talked to Hunter..."

"Just drop it, fatty!" Sebastian snapped, then whirled when he heard what he'd said. "Oh shit, Trent, I'm sorr-"

The chubby Warbler was gone, and Bas slammed his hand into a locker, wincing at the way it throbbed. He threw his clothes on and sent himself to bed without dinner.

~~Glee~~

From Blaine to Kurt: I'm thinking of going back to Dalton. What do you think?

From Kurt to Bas: do you know anything about Blaine wanting to go back to Dalton?

From Bas to Kurt: talk to him

From Kurt to Blaine: why are thinking of leaving McKinley?

From Blaine to Kurt: the Warblers want me back, and I'd be closer to Bas

From Kurt: what's going on at McKinley that makes you want to leave, though? Maybe I can talk to Finn

From Blaine: No! I'll figure it out

From Kurt: you asked what I thought. I love you and I want you to be happy

From Blaine: thank you. Love you so much

Blaine expressed his possible transfer to Mr Schuester, who told the glee club, and Blaine was immediately bombarded by his fellow performers telling him why he should stay with them. It was Sam's heartfelt private discussion with him that brought Blaine around, and the duo concocted a plan to retrieve the trophy from Dalton.

"I just don't know how we'll get in with all the doors locked at night," Sam said during their scheming.

"I have an inside man," Blaine replied, waggling his eyebrows. Sam looked confused for a moment.

"Oh! That Sebastian dude! Wait... Are you and Kurt really, um, doing it with him?"

"That's...that's kinda private, but... Yes. Kurt and Bas and I are in a relationship together."

"Dude... I don't even get how that works. I mean, I'm not even sure what you and Kurt do, exactly, but another guy, too, and no girl... Seems like a little too much sausage and not enough bun, man."

Blaine laughed. He clapped Sam on the shoulder. "Sam, you're straight. Why don't you let me worry about my own...sausage, okay?"

A few days later, Blaine called Bas and with his inside help, stole back the Nationals trophy that the Warblers had taken from McKinley. Sebastian watched as Blaine and Sam, dressed in their ridiculous, although disturbingly hot, super hero outfits, made off with their prize along with his hopes for happiness for the school year.

~~Glee~~

Kurt's life went into overdrive as Thanksgiving approached. He was preparing for his audition for NYADA to try to get into the school for the spring term, along with everything else he had going. Both he and Rachel decided they couldn't afford to go home for the holiday and they instead threw an orphans party which ended up being a huge event for Kurt's Vogue co-workers. Rachel's boytoy boyfriend helped cook, but Kurt was too busy with his own preparations to even taste any of it, and then too involved with the Vogue people to eat. He barely had a chance to talk with Bas and Blaine on the holiday and didn't think to ask what they were doing.

Blaine spent it in stiffly uncomfortable company of his parents and his father's friends, and Bas ended up eating with the janitor, who was the only person left on campus. The heavyset older Mexican woman shared tamales and pasolé her daughter had made with him. He tried to be grateful, but her small apartment in the basement was decorated in religious art and he was distinctly uncomfortable. He went back to his room as quickly as he could politely do so after the meal.

The highlight of his weekend was the five minute three way phone call with his boyfriends.

"I'm thinking of joining the Cheerios. With glee out of commission because we lost, I want something else that's competitive to put on my NYADA application," Blaine told them.

"Sweetie, I had an amazing time as a Cheerio, even after Mercedes quit. Winning Nationals with them, with my singing being what put them over the top... It was one of my high school highlights. And I bet you'd look hot in those red pants," Kurt said supportively.

"If you join, I could enact the classic teenage boy fantasy of having two cheerleaders at once. Do you still have your uniform, Blue Eyes?" Bas said, only half joking.

Kurt just laughed, but Blaine knew he had both his cheerleading uniform and his football gear still in his closet at his dad's house. Maybe they could do that for Bas.

~~Glee~~

Blaine and Bas got together the following week for coffee, and Blaine could see something wasn't right with Sebastian.

"How's everything going at Dalton, Bas?" Blaine asked, trying to sound casual.

Sebastian snorted. "Same as always. Bunch of rich preppy dicks." He buried a snarky comment about Blaine's near-return, knowing it would be hurtful to him.

"You heard about the Warblers winning Sectionals, right?"

"Yeah."

"It's just... It's weird, right? They're suddenly getting all extra physical, doing flips and stuff? And I didn't even see Trent perform! He's like Mr Reliable: he never misses a practice, let alone a competition. Has he said anything to you?"

"Trent... He's not really speaking to me anymore," Bas mumbled.

Blaine's face fell. "Bas... Really? Trent? He's the sweetest, most forgiving person at that school."

Sebastian sneered. "Well, I am king of the outcasts now. No one will even work on class projects with me anymore."

Blaine looked stricken. "Maybe... Maybe you should transfer to McKinley..."

Bas rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna have over half my freshman credits already completed for Columbia by the time I graduate from Dalton. McKinley can't offer the AP and college classes I want. Besides, all I have to do with my time is study, so I'm whizzing through everything the professors throw my way. I don't need lab partners or study buddies slowing me down."

"Oh god, Sebastian. I'm so sorry I haven't been there for you more. Now I wish I hadn't joined the Cheerios. I can make more time for you- for us."

"I don't need your pity, Blaine. I'm fine."

Blaine heard the hard edge to Bas's voice and knew he needed to back off but he wanted so badly to do anything to help him. He bit his lip to hold back, but once they were outside by the Porsche, he just had to say something else.

"I don't pity you, Bas. I hope you know that's not where this is coming from. I just want you to be happy, and you don't seem happy."

Sebastian's mouth twisted. "You want me happy? How about we get in the car and you blow me? That'll add some happy to my lousy fucking life."

Blaine recoiled slightly. The idea of doing that was incredibly hot, but there were bigger concerns than getting off.

"But... Kurt..."

"Yeah. _Kurt_. Well, happiness is overrated. I'll see you later, babe," Bas said, kissing Blaine quickly, then getting into his car and speeding out of the Lima Bean parking lot.

Blaine stared after him, nearly in tears. He needed Kurt. Kurt would know what to do.

But his call just went to voicemail.

~~Glee~~

Hearing the message Blaine left saying something wasn't right with Bas concerned Kurt, but he only had time for a few texts to the boy at Dalton, and Sebastian's responses were typically dismissive, so Kurt chalked it up to Blaine having a drama moment. He tried to reassure them both with a few more texts and then was swept back up into the whirlwind of his own life and drama.

Kurt went to see Carmen Tibedeaux after he'd sent a video of his second audition.

She remained unimpressed, citing the lack of emotional depth in his performances and telling him she only ever gave second chances on her own terms.

He got to experience that first hand when he attended the NYADA Winter Showcase as Rachel's guest and Madam Tibedeaux offered him a chance to sing. Nervous enough that he would have vomited if he'd eaten anything that afternoon, he consulted with Rachel and chose to perform 'Being Alive'. He let himself submerge in his feelings for Blaine and Bas as he sang the song about the effect of love in life, and was granted a huge ovation. He hoped that boded well for his hopes of admittance to the exclusive school.

It did. He got his acceptance before Christmas and was terrified and exhilarated and immediately called first his father, then Bas and Blaine.

"That's amazing, Kurt! I'm so glad!" Blaine gushed.

"Congratulations, Blue Eyes. I'm glad she finally saw the error of her ways," quipped Bas.

"This means I'm going to have to work all the hours I can through break though. I'm going to need every extra penny I can make! But, oh... I got in. I got in!" Kurt was floating, high on his accomplishment.

"We're still coming out for New Years, though, aren't we?" Blaine asked.

"You're certainly welcome, sweetie, and it'll be wonderful to see you both, especially with Rachel going on a cruise. We'll have the apartment to ourselves! But I need to work, too."

"If you need money, Blue Eyes, I'm your sugar daddy. I'll buy you anything you need," Bas offered.

"Oh ew! Please don't call yourself that. I couldn't possibly take money from you, Bas, but thank you for offering. Oh! I need to tell Isabelle! I don't know how I'll still be able to keep my internship... I'll talk to you soon, alright? Love you!"

Kurt hung up, leaving Blaine and Bas on the line. Bas's heart twisted, knowing Kurt's sign off was for Blaine and keenly feeling the dismissal of his offer to help.

"So... What are your plans for Christmas?" Blaine asked.

"Same as always. Study," Bas replied shortly.

"You should come to my parents' Christmas party on Christmas eve! It's huge, and they won't even notice you're there. We can sneak away and call Kurt and have our own little holiday in my room."

It felt like a pity invitation but Bas couldn't stand the idea of being totally alone on campus (Mrs Rodriguez wasn't even going to stick around), so he agreed.

"I'll make sure it's okay and you can stay the night, alright? My mom and I cook a big breakfast for everyone who stays over because they're too drunk to drive."

"I already said yes, okay? I need to go. Talk to you later."

~~Glee~~

The Christmas Eve phone call with Kurt didn't go as Blaine hoped, though.

"I was so happy to see him, but then he just dropped this bomb on me, all matter-of-fact. Prostate cancer? Ohmygod, with his heart? What if... I can't lose him. I can't lose my dad! He's everything..." Kurt wept brokenly and Blaine grabbed Bas's hand and squeezed, his expression agonized. Bas swallowed hard and moved to put his arm around Blaine.

"Oh, Blue Eyes, it's gonna be okay, babe. Lots of men live with prostate cancer, and I bet he told you not to worry," Bas tried to reassure Kurt.

"Of course he said that, and they caught it early, so... I'm just so scared. I feel like I'm eight again, watching my mom in the hospital after the car accident, not knowing... And she never woke up. I lost her, and I just couldn't bear it if I lost him, too..."

Bas went cold. He hadn't known how Elizabeth Hummel had died. He didn't know what to say, seeing how his own bastard father had died the same way as Kurt's beloved mother and somehow that bonded them deeper, yet not, since the relationships with the dead parents had been so different. His mind whirled and whirled as Blaine jumped in with platitudes and comfort and Kurt slowly calmed down listening to him.

When they went to sleep that evening in Blaine's bed, Bas held on tight. He was worried about Kurt and also trying to soak up the companionship being with one of his boyfriends was giving him, hoping memory would help ward off the loneliness that would swamp him again when he returned to Dalton.

Blaine fell asleep quickly; it was his bed after all. But Bas just laid there, his arms wrapped around the other boy. He felt the lush curve of Blaine's incredible ass against his groin and that started him down a slippery slope. It had been the beginning of November that they'd had their second Skype sex session with Kurt. Blaine had blown Bas, while Bas had kept his eyes on Kurt the whole time. It had been hot as hell, and after Bas and Kurt finished, Blaine had come as soon as Bas had stroked his cock twice.

Just thinking about it made Bas hard. He found he couldn't help but rock gently against Blaine while remembering the look on Kurt's pixelated face while they both got off. He bit his lip and stifled a whimper. God, he missed Kurt. Missed the three of them fucking and hanging out, of getting to slowly figure out who he truly was beneath the layers of defenses he'd hidden behind all his life. He had discovered this summer that he loved physical closeness with people so much that he had felt utterly bereft without it this last semester. It was probably why he'd spent so much time at Scandals before, and so much time fucking anyone who'd do it. Being in an exclusive relationship kinda sucked since that option was no longer available.

None of those nameless, faceless hookups had meant anything to him. Not like this relationship with Blaine and Kurt. It rather frightened him just how vital they had become to him.

He fell asleep still softly thrusting against Blaine.

In the early morning, before it was light out, Bas woke to Blaine facing him, grinding against his body.

They were both stiff with morning wood and it felt amazing, even through their pajamas. Blaine's eyes were closed, but his grip on Bas's hips told him that they were both awake.

"Jesus, fuck, Blaine... What are you _doing_?" Bas growled. Blaine stopped immediately and opened his eyes.

"Oh... Oh shit, Sebastian, I'm sorry! I was dreaming and I just started...and you...we, um, without Kurt..." Blaine sputtered.

"Maybe we... Just this once... Fuck, Blaine, I'm fucking close already..."

Blaine made a little noise in his throat and they stared at each other in the darkness. Bas tried to make himself believe that Kurt would be okay with it, but in his mind's eye he could see the horror and betrayal and self-recrimination that would fill those gorgeous blue eyes if they told him after the fact.

Bas reached for his phone and punched his speed dial.

"Bas? Is everything okay?" Kurt's sleepy voice answered. Bas hit the speaker function.

"Baby, Blaine and I woke each other up humping in our sleep. Will you talk us off, or... God, please Blue Eyes, can we come?"

"Are you serious?" Kurt's voice grew breathy and both Blaine and Bas could hear his arousal.

"Yes, Kurt, please, sweetie, I didn't mean to, but he was all wrapped around me and I must have turned to face him and we were just grinding and..." Blaine pleaded.

"Ohmygod, boys, my dad is in Rachel's room! How can I..." Kurt hissed.

"You could just listen," Bas suggested, his voice smooth and sexy.

" _Fuck_!" Kurt moaned. "Yes, god, just...tell me what you're doing."

Both younger boys quickly shoved their pajama pants down and grabbed at each other to press their heated, swollen flesh together.

"Ungh, we-we're on, uh, on our sides, and, mmm... Bas!" Blaine gasped.

"Blue Eyes, I'm holding onto Blaine's ass, shoving my cock against his belly, rubbing off on his hard on," Bas clarified.

"Uh, oh, Bas, mmm... H-holding his hips, Kurt..."

"Are you jacking off, babe?" Bas asked Kurt.

"Mm-hmm," he breathed in response, which made Bas groan.

"Oh-oh... I'm..."

"Kurt," Bas spoke with his jaw clenched, "are you getting close?"

Kurt's quick breaths answered. He was trying to catch up.

"Hang in there, Blaine. Hold on," Bas encouraged. Blaine nodded, whining lowly.

"Oh god... Oh _god_!" Kurt huffed.

Bas increased his speed, the slide from sweat and precome giving just enough slick to make it great. Blaine gave a low, suppressed wail as he shuddered through his orgasm, adding even more lubrication to Bas's quick thrusts.

"He just came, Blue... I'm gon- Kurt! God, Kurt!" Bas ground out through gritted teeth as he came.

"Oooohhhh..." Kurt sighed as he fell over the edge as well.

None of them spoke as they relaxed in their post-orgasmic stupor, until:

"Shit! I think my dad's up. Love you!" Kurt whispered, and disconnected.

Bas chuckled at that, and Blaine smiled before he rolled away and got tissues to clean up with.

"That was fun. Thanks, Blainers," Bas murmured after they'd both tucked themselves away and curled up together again. Blaine was spooning Bas and kissed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, and I think Kurt enjoyed it, too," Blaine replied.

"I can't wait til we go to New York," Sebastian mumbled, drifting.

"Me, too," Blaine said. He stayed awake a few minutes longer, replaying the previous half hour or so, smiling until he thought about how focused Bas had been on Kurt. Even as he came in Blaine's arms, all over Blaine's stomach, he'd called out to Kurt.

Hmm. Maybe he was just making sure Kurt felt okay about what they were doing.

Maybe.

~~Glee~~

Christmas morning at Blaine's house really wasn't as awkward as Bas had feared. There were half a dozen extra people who had stayed the night, and Blaine and his mother had indeed cooked a huge breakfast for everyone.

As soon as he was done eating, Bas tried to slip out, but Blaine caught him when he'd returned to Blaine's bedroom to get his bag.

"You could stay. I've had a couple of friends who have stayed the holiday with us over the years," Blaine offered.

"No thanks. No offense, but parents give me the creeps."

"Well, let's open our presents before you go, then," Blaine said.

"Um, okay. I'm not very good at picking stuff out, so..."

"Sebastian, anything you got or didn't get for me is fine."

They exchanged presents. Blaine laughed and blushed when he opened the paper and saw the title of the book: The Gay Kama Sutra.

Bas swallowed hard at the framed picture in the box he opened. It was the same photo Blaine had on his nightstand; a black and white formal looking photo of Kurt in a tux, only in this one, the eyes had been colored and glowed a soft blue.

"I've seen you look at mine, so I thought you'd like one, but then with your nickname for him..."

"It's wonderful. Thank you, Blaine."

"You're welcome," Blaine said, and they kissed briefly.

"I'm gonna go before I wear out my welcome," Sebastian said, putting the picture back in its box and sliding the box into his bag.

"You're always welcome here, Bas," Blaine protested.

They hugged, and Bas returned to Dalton, spending more of Christmas Day than he'd ever admit looking at the picture of Kurt.

~~Glee~~

Bas met Blaine at the airport on December 30th. They went through security together and grabbed lunch on the concourse before their flight boarded. Flying first class wasn't noteworthy to either of them, although they talked about needing to make sure Kurt's flights got upgraded whenever he finally came back to Ohio to visit. Sebastian grumbled a little about Kurt's insistence that the boys' visit being their gift for him for Christmas, and that Blaine had successfully argued that staying with Kurt was theirs. He didn't know what else he would have gotten for Kurt but resented that he hadn't had the opportunity. Blaine went back over the reasons again, citing Kurt's feelings about money and the grumbling died back down. He never wanted Kurt to feel bad over money.

Blaine held Bas's hand during the taxi ride to Bushwick, and Bas smiled and squeezed whenever that registered in his mind. It felt really good. Knowing they would soon see Kurt felt even better.

But the big sliding door of the converted warehouse loft was locked when they arrived and they looked at each other resignedly.

"I'll text him," Blaine said, pulling his phone out. It was only moments after he hit send that Kurt arrived, hurrying down the hall to them.

"Ohmygod! You're here!" Kurt flung one arm around each of them and pulled them close. Both Blaine and Bas buried their faces in his neck and held tight.

Kurt was awash in relief. He hadn't had any idea how much better he would feel with his beautiful boys warm and real in his arms.

"Let's go inside. C'mon."

Kurt showed them the loft, with the fabric walls delineating the bedrooms.

"Now I'm even more glad Rachel's gone. Seriously, how do you deal with listening to her... Do anything, really?" Bas asked, sneering.

"Oh, come on, she's not that bad," Blaine protested.

Kurt was obviously trying to hold back laughter. "Actually, she kind of is. I never wanted to know how fast or slow or what positions she likes sex in, but..." He shuddered. "Earplugs are just not enough when dealing with a trained voice!" He let himself giggle.

Blaine looked slightly scandalized but chuckled at the thought.

"So what are we going to do?" Blaine asked.

"Fuck?" Bas said, sounding hopeful. "Please tell me we're gonna fuck: I'm dying to be close to you guys."

Kurt rolled his eyes at the phrasing but pulled Bas into a tight embrace.

"I want to spend lots of time close together, honey. I want to check out what changes have happened to my boys' bodies and get intimately familiar with you all over again," Kurt said seductively. He felt Sebastian tremble and smiled. He winked at Blaine over the tallest boy's shoulder and got a bright smile in return. He turned his head and moved into a deep kiss with Bas.

It was like no pleasure Bas had ever experienced to have Kurt's lips on his. With few memories of being taken care of by his parents, Bas didn't have anything to compare it to, but he felt a deeply satisfied reassurance that he was cared for and safe.

Kurt felt like home.

~~Glee~~

They went ice skating that night, and reveled in the freedom of being in a city so large that they could swap out with each other and kiss and not care if anyone noticed their gay polyamory.

Blaine was an average recreational skater, and Bas had played peewee hockey for a couple of years and thus was confident on the ice, but Kurt's natural grace translated into gliding, beautiful movements that had the other two staring, which only encouraged him to show off.

Kurt found an open bit of ice and moved into a layback spin that brought applause from his boyfriends. He returned to them and received their enthusiastic approval regally.

"My mom competed a little when she was a child, and I always wanted to be like her, but the cold is so hard on my skin, and I couldn't balance everything after she died. Dad was struggling with money and taking me to practice while he ran the shop, so I told him I wanted to quit," Kurt said quietly, looking wistful.

Bas put his arm comfortingly around Kurt as they skated, and Blaine announced he would get them all hot chocolate. Kurt leaned into the solid presence of the taller boy and sighed.

"He handles it better than most people," Kurt said softly.

"The dead parent stories?"

"Yeah."

Bas kissed Kurt's cheek. "I'm glad you feel comfortable talking about her, Blue Eyes. I wish I had good memories like that to share."

Kurt looked into Sebastian's eyes. "We're making good memories for you now, aren't we?"

Bas gave a half smile and the rosiness of his cheeks deepened. "The best of my life, actually."

Kurt kissed him gently and they smiled at each other, then headed over to where Blaine waved at them with three cups lined up on the wall.

Back at the loft after a late dinner out, Kurt fell asleep even as the other two boys got ready for bed. Blaine climbed into the center spot but looked disappointed. Bas spooned behind him and kissed his neck.

"He's present, so we can fool around," Bas whispered.

"I think the rules kind of imply participation, not just physical proximity," Blaine replied regretfully.

"I bet he'll wake up if I blow you."

Blaine groaned as Bas started fondling him through his pajama bottoms. He turned his head and Sebastian kissed him, breaking his resistance.

Kurt did indeed wake to Blaine's moans, and joined the other two in getting off very quickly. It had been too long for all of them to last. Bas had rearranged them so he ended up swallowing both boys' release before coming in Kurt's hand, and once they cleaned up, he remained in the middle as they settled back toward rest.

"This gonna be okay, Bas? You kinda freak out sometimes when we snuggle you too much..." Kurt's sleepy voice was slurred.

Bas breathed across the mix of flavors on his tongue, savoring the sensation. "Yeah, babe, I'm good. It's been really lonely at school, so I'll take anything I can get right now."

"Oh, honey... I'm sorry," Kurt murmured.

"Bas, maybe you can talk with some of the Warblers and get friendly with them again," Blaine suggested.

"Again?" Sebastian scoffed. "That implies I ever was friends with them."

"What happened, my boy? Last year you led them." Kurt woke up more when his worry for Bas overcame his exhaustion.

"Hunter's too much like I was, before. He saw my change of heart as a weakness and threw me out when I refused to help him dig up dirt on the competition."

"Is that what happened? But what about Jeff, and Nick and-" Blaine couldn't believe his old friends would have abandoned a fellow Warbler.

"They're all little followers, okay? They followed when I led them, and they followed when Hunter blacklisted me, okay? It's not that hard to understand," Bas snapped. "And then I was fucking stupid and couldn't keep my mouth under control and I made fun of Trent, who was the only one still speaking to me, and he ditched me, too. I have no one, alright? No one but you two," Bas snarled, confessing in the late night, post-coital darkness, the only place he could bring himself to admit how fucked up things had gotten for him.

Kurt wrapped himself around the tall boy, pulling Blaine against Bas's other side so they enveloped him in their heat and affection.

"I'm so sorry, honey. I wish there was something I could do," Kurt said, his voice wavering with his tears.

Bas sighed and relaxed into the embrace. "It's just one more semester. My grades have never been better, actually."

"There's more to life than grades, Sebastian..." Kurt protested.

"I'll get there. C'mon, let's go to sleep. I don't wanna talk about this anymore."

Kurt kissed his forehead, and Blaine snuggled close behind him and kissed his neck, and Bas fell asleep just like that, content and safe.

~~Glee~~

"Jesus, you got skinny!" Sebastian said to Kurt the next morning when the trio decided to shower together. He was surprised he hadn't noticed the night before.

"I'm going to be going to a performing arts school- this is a well-trained dancer's body," Kurt said, ignoring the actual concern behind Bas's exclamation.

"I'm taking us out for the biggest lunch and dinner today," Bas stated. Kurt's hipbones were like scoops on either side of his almost concave stomach. "And we're gonna stock your kitchen before we leave."

Kurt just laughed and agreed, and they didn't discuss it beyond that.

They avoided Times Square and the monstrous crowds on New Years Eve, going to a few different clubs instead. It was wild, with horny drunk Blaine trying to give Kurt a handjob in the taxi at 2 am, and quickly fumbled sex before passing out after they got in that night.

Kurt had to work most of New Years Day at the diner, and Bas and Blaine did the shopping Bas had promised. They went to the diner afterwards, and ended up joining in with Kurt and the rest of the servers during every song they knew. They barely ate, but the appreciative looks from Kurt made it worth it. The food was greasy and mediocre anyway.

~~Glee~~

January 2nd, Rachel came home. She saw the three of them tangled up on the little sofa and huffed.

"Would you please keep your kinky sexcapades in your own room, Kurt?" She complained.

Kurt looked over Bas's shoulder at her. "Gosh, welcome back, it's nice to see you too!" He snarked.

"Hi, Rachel!" Blaine wriggled out from under the other boys and hurried to hug her.

"What the fuck?" Bas muttered.

"She was his Maria in West Side Story. They bonded," Kurt explained.

"The flight back from Florida was an absolute nightmare! The man next to me wouldn't stop talking, and there was the most adorable baby that turned into a screaming little monster..." Rachel ranted as she moved through the apartment, putting her bags in her 'room' and coming back out to go to the kitchen without pausing for breath.

"...dry cabin air is positive murder on my throat! Oh! You finally went shopping, Kurt! Good. I'm in desperate need of honey and lemon water. So, Blaine, have you chosen your audition song yet? Because I had some ideas and you really should listen to me because I actually got in and-"

"Oh my god, will you shut up already?" Bas shouted.

Rachel flew into a full on diva fit and grabbed her bags, declaring she would be staying with Brody, her amazing boyfriend, until the horrible Sebastian had vacated her sanctuary. She apologized to Blaine and kissed his cheek before she left.

Blaine looked genuinely upset and Kurt looked bored.

"How do you do it?" Bas asked Kurt, who shrugged.

"I work a lot. We don't see each other that much, but she's getting worse, for sure," Kurt answered, shaking his head. "I'll pay for it tomorrow when she comes back, but it'll be worth it to have the rest of today until you guys leave tomorrow without her here."

"She's really gotten sort of...larger than life, hasn't she?" Blaine admitted. He came back to the sofa and dropped to the floor beside it. Bas put his hand on Blaine's shoulder and Kurt kissed his hair.

"Yes. But I will deal with that later. Right now, I just want to stay wrapped up in you two for as long as possible," Kurt said.

By the time Blaine and Bas left to return to Ohio, they were fully sated from all the sex they'd had, and Kurt had pulled a promise out of Blaine that he'd make time to see Bas in person at least once a week.

Once back home, Blaine was immediately drawn into glee club drama and Bas resigned himself to returning to his lonely life.

 _A/N So this is kind of a 'moving right along' chapter, and it prompted me to choose to get away from canon for most of the rest of this story since I found it odd to try to shoehorn Bas in. So, more original difficulties face our triad going forward. I hope you'll follow with me as the road gets tougher for the guys_.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Tightrope

From Rachel: Blaine, it's Rachel. Kurt collapsed in dance class today. He's losing weight, and I don't think he's eating. Can you come visit soon?

Blaine's heart broke knowing he couldn't drop everything and go to Kurt. His commitments to activities were numerous. But Bas might be able to, and he'd never been more pleased to have the extra support of a second boyfriend. He called Sebastian right away.

"Of course I'll go. I'm already packing," Bas said immediately, throwing jeans and sweatshirts into his backpack and waking his laptop to get a flight.

"Please keep me in the loop. I feel like I should call him and see if he'll talk to me-" Blaine paced the hallway outside the choir room where he'd stepped out of rehearsal.

"No. If he was gonna talk to either one of us, he would have. I'll take care of him, Blaine. I promise. And I'll let you know how it goes. But..." It occurred to Bas how oversensitive Kurt could be to his concerns about them.

"But what?"

"If Kurt thinks we're plotting behind his back, or that I'm reporting to you..."

"Oh god, he'll feel so betrayed..."

"Do you trust me, babe?"

"Yes, Bas, of course I do."

"So trust me to deal with this and I will tell you everything when I get back."

"Okay."

"Good, now-"

"Bas?" Blaine had to make sure Sebastian understood that he trusted him with absolutely everything.

"Yeah?"

"It's okay, if you two are intimate. Do whatever he needs, alright?"

"Sure thing. I'll give you all those juicy details, too, okay? So you can picture it while you beat off."

Blaine rolled his eyes but felt aroused at the thought, too. It was incongruous with the worry he felt about Kurt's health. "So kind."

~~Glee~~

Sebastian wanted to scream the moment he saw Kurt. The slim boy had gotten almost skeletal, with his eyes sunken and face barely recognizable with his cheekbones and jaw accentuated. His neck even looked thin. Clothing; layers and layers of it, covered up the rest, but it was a terrifying sight.

Bas closed his eyes and took a breath, then slapped his cocky grin into place and approached.

"Hey there, Blue Eyes! Surprised to see me?" Sebastian said, sauntering up to him and dropping into a chair at his table.

"Ohmygod, Bas! What are you doing here!" Kurt cried, reaching out to him. Bas hugged him, choking on a whimper at the lack of solid substance in his arms. He kissed Kurt's cheek and schooled his expression before he pulled back.

"I needed a break. Too much drama at Dalton. And now that I'm eighteen, why shouldn't I use some of that trust fund to have a good time every now and then?"

Kurt put his hand on Bas's and held tight. "It's so good to see you, my dear Bas. Why didn't you tell me you were coming, though?"

"I wanted to see that unrestrained joy that only my presence could bring," Bas said casually. He looked around. "But I could use some lunch. What's good here?"

Kurt's eyes slid sideways. "I don't know. Get whatever you want. I'll even let you buy me more tea."

"You're having more than tea, Kurt," Sebastian said. Kurt frowned.

"I'm not hungry, Bas," he said.

Sebastian sighed and pulled his phone out. He typed quickly and Kurt's phone buzzed. With an eye roll, he picked it up to read.

From Bas: back to no BS zone. What the fuck is going on with you?

"Nothing, Sebastian! I'm just stressed out," Kurt said. Bas stared with one eyebrow raised until Kurt picked up his phone with a huff.

From Kurt: I am very busy

From Bas: I'm scared seeing you like this

Bas hit send on that one before he could chicken out. He'd researched all he could on eating disorders on the way here, but he also knew that with the type of relationship he and Kurt had, he couldn't suddenly become the understanding snugglebuddy that Blaine was.

Kurt took Bas's hand and looked out the window. How could he take care of Bas when he could barely deal with his own life? He was already drowning in commitments and not sleeping enough. But it was Bas. How could he not go the extra mile for him?

"What's the drama at Dalton?" Kurt asked, buying time.

"Hunter was forcing the Warblers to take testosterone and dance like gymnasts."

Kurt's jaw dropped. "What?! How could the school allow that?"

"You know what Dalton's like. He kept it quiet, until a couple of New Directions guys got a certain fatty to flip on them..." Bas stopped, wanting to slap himself. All the articles he'd read said don't bring up weight. Kurt rolled his eyes again.

"I wish you wouldn't call Trent that. He's such a sweet boy. Which New Directions guys?"

"Blaine and Sam."

"Ohmygod, why didn't he tell me?!"

Bas clutched Kurt's hand. "He didn't want to worry you. We know how busy you are, and we _thought_ we knew how stressed you were. Obviously we underestimated it, though."

Kurt huffed and started ticking off items on his fingers. "School, Vogue, Pamela Lansbury, work, dealing with Santana showing up, Dad's cancer, taking care of Rachel... Yeah, I'm a little stressed."

"Well, I'm here to act as stress relief. See if you can cancel something tonight because I wanna see you."

Kurt shook his head. He'd never consider bailing on a band rehearsal normally, but the chance to spend time with one of his boyfriends was too good to pass up. He texted Elliott and Dani, then turned back to Bas.

"I've got to get a little homework done, then I'm all yours. I'll head back to the loft. You have something to eat, and I'll meet you there, okay?"

Bas's eyes narrowed. He wondered if Kurt even realized that he was dodging a meal. Unwilling to make a scene in the cafe, Sebastian agreed and watched Kurt leave. His skinny jeans were belted and sagged a little. Good god he was thin.

Back at the apartment, the boys talked and hung out, and Bas was his usual handsy self. Kurt dodged a lot of his groping, but eventually succumbed to the lure of kisses. Bas was warm and strong in his arms, and Kurt let himself relax just a little.

Having the loft to themselves, they made out on the couch. Kurt allowed Bas to take off a couple of the layers he wore, but stopped him before he got to skin. With a frustrated growl, Bas pinned him and laid on top, grinding his erection into Kurt's crotch, kissing him and working Kurt's neck in ways that usually drove him crazy.

But Sebastian slowed down and stopped when he realized that Kurt wasn't getting hard. "Something wrong?" He asked quietly. Kurt's face burned and he pushed Bas off of him, straightening his hair and tugging his sleeves down, studiously avoiding looking at his boyfriend. It was horribly humiliating.

"It's not you, Bas. It's just...stress."

Bas stared. "You're nineteen. Stress shouldn't make you impotent. Starving yourself, though..."

"What?! I'm not... Bas, you're being mean."

"When were you last hard, Kurt? Maybe ten or fifteen pounds ago?"

"I don't know what you're talking about! I don't have a problem, except stress!"

"Seriously? You can't get hard and you don't think there's a problem?"

"Sorry to disappoint," Kurt said viciously. "If that's all you're here for..."

"You know it's not! Goddamnit, Kurt! You won't take your clothes off, and I know you remember when I wouldn't take my shirt off and why... You know you're not okay!"

"What the fuck am I supposed to do, then? Everything is moving so fast! None of my friends here support me, no matter how many times I pick _them_ up. Everything is so expensive here, and the competition at school is insane. You and Blaine are all the way back in Ohio and I miss you so I stay busy, but the classes are so hard and I am so tired and I have my internship, and my band and working at the diner-"

"So tell us! Talk to us! Quit lying when we're on the phone. You're more to us, more to me than a piece of ass. You're..." _'Everything'_ , Bas thought but couldn't say it.

"I don't want to worry you," Kurt whispered. His eyes filled with tears. "And every time I think about talking to you about it, it's just so overwhelming. Everything is just so...overwhelming."

Bas hugged him. "Well it's out now, okay? And I'm here. I'm not going anywhere until you agree to get help."

"Help?" Kurt pushed him away. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You have an eating disorder, Kurt."

"No I don't! I'm just stressed, and busy, and..."

"When did you eat last?"

"I...I had... Well, tea today..."

"Do you even put honey or sugar in it?"

"...lemon..."

"Blue Eyes... Please, try to think. Food. When was the last time you had food?"

"Celery! I had celery, um, yesterday... No, the day before, at rehearsal with the band," he said, proud of remembering. Then he recognized what he'd said when tears filled Bas's eyes. He stared.

"When did I stop eating?" Kurt whispered brokenly. Bas grabbed him again and held him as he shuddered. "But... I _matter_. I _know_ I matter. Dad... I believe him. I know I'm... Bas, _what's happening_?"

"Shh... I don't know. But it's gonna change. You're gonna be okay."

After a few minutes, Sebastian settled Kurt on the sofa and made them some tea. He laced it liberally with honey, and he found some cookies and brought the package out with him. Kurt recoiled from the bag, and Bas quickly took it back to the kitchen. His hands were shaking when he put two cookies on a napkin and brought them back.

"One for each of us, okay?"

Kurt nodded and gingerly picked one up. He nibbled it and drank the sweet tea. Bas put his arm around Kurt and they snuggled while they ate.

Bas rambled about what was happening at Dalton, and confessed how lonely it was for him there among the lesser people, whose faults he layed out over the next half hour until Kurt was laughing and relaxed.

"Let's watch some tv, okay?" Kurt suggested. Bas agreed, and they cuddled through a couple of episodes of sitcoms, then went to bed.

Kurt tried to stay far over on one side of the mattress. He only wore one layer of pajamas and worried about Bas's reaction. While he'd changed his clothes he'd looked at himself for the first time in ages and had been shocked at how his ribs stood out.

Bas wasn't having it. He tugged Kurt toward the center of the bed.

"No, Bas, I-"

"Shh. I know how skinny you are. I know we're not gonna have sex. But I've been alone since New Years and I want to hold my boyfriend, okay?"

Kurt bit his lip. "I'm sorry my insecurities keep you and Blaine from spending nights together," he said in a miserable tone.

"Blue Eyes, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, I'm trying to be close to you. I missed you, you stubborn bitch. Get over here."

Kurt laughed in spite of himself and scooted over. Bas drew him close and kissed him.

"Can I ask you about something you said earlier?" Bas asked.

"Of course, honey," Kurt said, feeling warm and affectionately fuzzy headed.

"You said something about your dad and that you matter..."

"Oh. Yeah. When he gave me the sex talk, he said I shouldn't throw myself around because I matter." He was quiet for a minute. "I think that was the most profound thing he'd said to me in a while. It hit me hard, really made me think. When things get rough and I consider giving up, I think about that. I matter. I don't know how things got so..."

Bas's breath came short. "I... I wish someone had told me that when I got the sex talk. Mine was all about safe sex and condoms and shit."

"Oh my sweet Bas... You do. You matter inherently and you matter to me and to Blaine. Please tell me you know that."

"I... I'm working on it," Bas whispered. "But I'm glad you had that. That you have that."

Kurt kissed him, trying to show Bas how sincere he was, trying to make him understand how much he meant to Kurt and how grateful Kurt was that he was there.

Bas lost himself in the embrace and the emotional reassurance that Kurt was giving him. It made him more and more determined to do everything he could to get Kurt healthy, and they fell asleep wrapped up in each other.

~~Glee~~

The next morning, Bas made breakfast. He tried to be somewhat quiet, but figured that if Santana chose to live on Kurt and Rachel's couch, she could just suck it up. When Kurt had finished in the bathroom and came out to gather his things to leave, Sebastian stopped him.

"This is one egg, scrambled. Please eat it. There's some fruit, too, but only if you eat the egg."

"I usually just have coffee, Bas," Kurt protested. But Bas's bitchface was unmoved. Kurt stared at the tiny plate with just a few mouthfuls of food on it. It looked foreign somehow, but recalling how he'd felt so safe and peaceful the night before, he decided to do what Bas asked. Kurt took the fork and slowly ate the egg, then two strawberries and three grapes. Bas handed him a travel mug of coffee.

"Skim milk and one sugar," Sebastian said. Kurt sighed and nodded. "When do you have a midday break?"

"After voice before Vogue. One o'clock."

"I'll meet you in Times Square and we'll have lunch."

Kurt's expression was wary, and Bas stroked his cheek. He had to get through to Kurt. "I'm not going to push hard, but I am going to push. Breakfast was okay, right? Lunch will be, too. Probably a salad with some chicken or something, yeah?"

Kurt reluctantly nodded and kissed Bas's cheek before he left. He felt strangely lethargic as his stomach dealt with the meal, but he walked determinedly to the subway and rode it stoically.

~~Glee~~

"You're surprisingly good for him, Legolas," Santana said from the sofa, after Kurt left and Bas stood drinking his coffee and pondering how else he could help Kurt.

Bas stiffened and began cleaning up. "I'm his boyfriend. I should be good for him."

"Huh. I never would have expected you to be all sunshine and rainbows about a relationship. Is Frodo rubbing off on you?"

"With some regularity," Bas deadpanned.

"Oh, ew! That's not what I meant and you know it, elf boy," Santana snapped. She paused. "You really have changed, haven't you?"

Sebastian sighed. "Yeah, I have. I thought I made that clear last year when I apologized."

"Pish. I apologize all the time without meaning it. Actions are where the truth lies, not pithy words," she said. "I'm glad you're here. Browbeating him to try to make him eat that awful greasy food at the diner wasn't working."

Bas turned around, surprised. "You tried to help him?"

"I may tease him like a bad sixties beehive, but he is my friend. We're queen bitches together, and if we don't watch out for each other, we get knives in our backs."

Sebastian stared at her.

"Thank you," he said softly. He'd never expected the mean girl to be an asset.

"Whatever. I just think we both know a few meals forced down his pencil neck isn't going to be enough. He needs professional help."

Santana headed for the bathroom, announcing she intended to use every drop of hot water.

Sebastian pulled out his tablet and started researching therapists and making calls. He'd have to find the right doctor who would be okay with Kurt's homosexuality and polyamory, as well as being an expert in teenage stress and eating disorders. He was pretty sure Kurt wasn't starving himself to look good based on a warped sense of his body image, but he definitely had issues with food.

Lunch went acceptably well. Kurt ate a bowl of vegetable soup with some parmesan cheese on it, and drank more tea with honey. Bas walked him to the Condé Nast building and then went for a long walk before he headed back to Bushwick.

Rachel was home when he returned late in the afternoon, and he decided to do his best to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Hey, Rachel? Can I ask why you didn't tell Blaine how bad things were getting for Kurt?"

"Excuse me? You of all people do not get to question my friendship with Kurt!" She snapped.

"I'm just saying, if I had been in your place, I think I would have noticed he looked too thin and wasn't eating before he fucking collapsed," Bas sneered back.

"I would have you know that I care more than you will ever understand about Kurt Hummel and I happen to understand how the stress we are under, and the pressure, could cause him to worry about how he looks enough to watch what he eats."

"Watch what he eats? He stopped eating at all you stupid bitch!" His voice rose as his anger got the better of him.

"I will not stand here and be called names by the unscrupulous villain who nearly blinded Blaine and blackmailed me!" She shouted, then whirled and stomped over to her curtained off bedroom.

Bas rubbed his face. He had intended it to be an honest discussion, not a screaming match, but he didn't feel bad about what he'd said. He just hoped it didn't cause Kurt any problems with the high strung girl.

Bas ordered pizza with a couple of side salads for dinner, and didn't comment when Kurt blotted the grease off the one narrow slice that he ate while he studied.

The band came over that evening and rehearsed. Sebastian and Elliott eyed each other after their introduction, but didn't have the chance to talk.

They worked on Open Your Heart, arguing good-naturedly about how blatant to make the sexual innuendo. Bas listened to Kurt's smooth voice and enjoyed how well they blended in harmony.

"If we could get a secure pole on stage, then yes, I think you could dance that way, Kurt, but without the pole, if you grind on Elliott like that, it just looks trashy," Dani argued as they worked on choreography.

"I don't mind it, but she's probably right," Elliott said, and Kurt pouted as he conceded.

"Don't worry, Blue Eyes, I'll let you grind on me anytime you want," Bas called from the couch. Dani laughed as Kurt blushed even while he stomped his foot in mock outrage.

"I think this will be ready for the gig on the 12th if we can get together a couple more times," Elliott said as they broke up. "Sunday night, then Thursday, right?"

"I got scheduled for a shift at the diner on Thursday," Dani said. "How about Friday?"

"Yes, we know you like to keep Friday open for dates, El, but if that's all we've got..." Kurt said, heading off an obviously old protest.

"Take out's on me for both those rehearsals, guys," Bas chimed in, waving some cash. "Who'll make sure that happens?"

"I'd trust Dani with it," Santana said as she came in. "Glitter-rock will use the cash for guy-liner."

Bas split the money and handed half each to Dani and Elliott. "Just make sure it's something Kurt will actually deign to consume, okay? If there's not vegetables in it, I'm sure he'll just pass."

"I am right here, Bas!" Kurt protested.

The tall boy went to him and put an arm around him. "Yep, I'm quite aware, babe."

"So you don't need to talk about me as if I'm not, damnit."

"It's sweet how he wants to take care of you, Kurt. Just let him," Dani advised.

"Was nice to meet you, Bas," Elliott called as he left. Dani and Santana took over the sofa, and Kurt claimed he needed to get back to his homework.

A couple hours later, Bas got Kurt to eat a yogurt before they went to bed.

"I'm glad you're here," Kurt whispered before he fell asleep. Bas held tight and agreed, but lay awake planning a trip to the grocery store the next day.

Finding a doctor and negotiating for an urgent first visit for Kurt took up a good portion of Bas's morning. He'd gotten Kurt to eat a piece of toast with butter and low-sugar jam on it for breakfast, and he met him on campus for a quick lunch of salad in the cafeteria. The sprinkling of cheese and a few olives were Kurt's concession to Bas's insistence that he get some fat and protein.

That afternoon was Bas's chance to stock the loft with small-serving, healthy foods, and he hit several bodegas and boutique-type health food shops on his way.

Labeling them all with Kurt's name gave him hope that at least Santana might leave them for him, and made Bas feel like his caretaking might actually help and last beyond his return to Ohio. When he and Rachel were in the loft together, they studiously avoided each other.

On the third day, Sebastian finally told Kurt about the doctor he wanted him to see, and all hell broke loose in a screaming match that had a neighbor knocking on the door to make sure they were okay. They quieted down after that, but the fight continued.

"You're not my father!" Kurt finally hissed. Bas recoiled slightly.

"No, but I will tell him if you don't get help," he finally replied.

"You don't even _like_ my dad."

"Not fond of fathers in general, but for you, I'd do anything, Kurt. I'm _that_ worried; _that_ scared."

Kurt dropped to the sofa. "Bas..." He sighed. "Really? You're Sebastian Smythe. You don't get attached. You smile and shrug everything off. I know you're fond of Blaine and me, but you're more fond of the sex we all have. At least that's what you've always said."

Bas just looked at him. He couldn't say the words, might never be able to, but he could wait and let Kurt figure it out.

All Kurt's anger drained away. Bas cared about him, way more than he ever let on. And if Kurt was honest with himself, he knew he needed help. He didn't want his dad involved. He wanted to take care of this problem and get better as soon as possible. He reached out and took Sebastian's hand and led him to the couch, then he curled up on his lap and closed his eyes.

"I'll see the doctor you found," he said softly.

Bas slumped, cradling Kurt, so relieved he felt like he might cry.

"I'm glad, Blue Eyes. Very glad."

Kurt fell asleep shortly after that, and later still, Bas carried him to bed and held him through the night.

Sebastian stayed three more days, until after Kurt's first appointment, which Bas had paid triple for to get his boyfriend in so quickly. Kurt was still barely eating enough calories to maintain his current weight, but at least he was eating three times a day. Bas observed which of the convenience foods Kurt ate and shopped for more of those styles. He completely ignored the exorbitant prices, happy to spend the money if it meant Kurt would eat.

Kurt didn't want to discuss the appointment, but the doctor had convinced him that he needed to drop something from his schedule, and the only thing Kurt could bear to sacrifice was his job at the diner. Unfortunately, that meant he needed financial help, and since he couldn't bring himself to ask his father for money, he decided to talk with Bas about it.

"I couldn't imagine quitting Vogue or the band, but that only leaves the diner, and I can't afford to quit working-" Kurt confessed hesitantly, his face hot with shame.

Bas pulled out his wallet and handed Kurt his debit card, telling him the pin several times until Kurt knew it.

"I'll get you one with your name on it, but until then, just pull cash whenever you need it," Bas said. Kurt's face burned with a slew of emotions, and Bas pulled him close. "I got full access to my trust fund when I turned eighteen. I will be paying outright for my tuition to Columbia in the fall, understand? And I won't be staying in a dorm. I'm set, so just use that for whatever you need."

"It's hard to... Bas, I intend to keep track of every penny and pay you back-" Kurt tried to say.

"Don't. That'll stress us both out. As soon as you're better, I'll let you work it off with sex, okay?"

Kurt burst out laughing.

 _A/N I tried to make it clear that Kurt is not dealing with anorexia in this. Please just bear with me on the portrayal because he's got other underlying problems that cause him not to eat._

 _Reviews make my day._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

More Help than a Little Bit

The following weekend Blaine planned to come out. It was a relief for him to discover that Santana had started seeing Dani from Kurt's band and had agreed to stay at her girlfriend's place during the visit. Rachel he could handle, but Santana was too much.

On Thursday, Kurt found a white envelope in his mailbox with no return address. When he opened it, he discovered the debit card with his name on it that Sebastian had promised him. He chewed his lip in distress, but ended up texting Bas before he got too worked up.

From Kurt: thank you for the debit card. I'm not comfortable using it yet

From Bas: use it, you stubborn bitch

From Kurt: sweet talker

From Bas: please, Blue Eyes, just use it. For whatever you need. Any price is worth paying for you to be healthy

Tears spilled over Kurt's cheeks, and he clutched his phone and the card to his chest.

From Kurt: okay

When Blaine arrived on Friday evening, the only reason he didn't burst into tears when he saw Kurt was all the warnings Bas had given him about how detrimental it would be to Kurt's recovery.

But Kurt knew Blaine very, very well, and could read his expression in a glance. So Kurt sighed and braced himself for whatever Blaine might do or say.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't be here when Bas was here, my clubs and Mr Schue-"

"It's okay, sweetie. I'm okay. And the visit with Bas was... Mostly good, so now I can enjoy seeing just you," Kurt said, trying to keep a happy face.

"I promised him we'd Skype with him tomorrow, is that okay?" Blaine was so unsure of what to say or do that he felt the need to ask Kurt about every plan he had.

"Of course! Since we usually Skype on Saturdays, it's not even a change of schedule."

Blaine paused. "But...we haven't been. You haven't been. Look, I appreciate that you're still sending me those control texts because they do make me feel better when I know you know what I'm wearing and how I'm getting off, but you've only been talking with us on the phone, and now..." He didn't finish because he knew he shouldn't be confrontational about Kurt's problem, but he looked up into Kurt's eyes and saw that he wasn't hiding his feelings very well. Kurt flinched and pulled away, turning and taking Blaine's bag to his room.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry!" Blaine said, rushing up behind Kurt and putting his arms around him. But that wasn't the best idea, because he could feel how many layers Kurt was wearing to hide how gaunt he was, and Blaine couldn't suppress a cry of dismay. Kurt twisted out of his embrace and kept himself an arm's length away, his face pale but for two bright spots of color on his cheeks.

"Blaine... I-I can't do this. Please. I've only had like two sessions with that shrink, and now you're looking at me like I'm a victim or something-"

"You're sick, Kurt. I just want you to get better-" Blaine said without thinking.

"I am not sick! Just... Just stop giving me that look!"

"What look?!"

"Like I'm weak. You've never treated me like I'm weak, so don't start now."

"Oh, sweetie..." Blaine shook his head. He never thought Kurt was weak, he just wanted to help. "I don't know what to do."

Kurt relented. He put one (cold) hand on Blaine's cheek and kissed him softly. "Spend time with me. I've missed you so much."

"Whatever you say."

Blaine got unpacked, and they went out sightseeing, then stopped for dinner. Blaine bit his tongue when Kurt ordered a salad with no dressing, and tried to be casual as he buttered a piece of bread and offered it to him.

"I'm fine, thanks," Kurt said, waving it off. Blaine shifted uncomfortably, trying to remind himself of what Sebastian had told him about not forcing Kurt to eat. He couldn't help offering the thin boy a bite of his pasta, thick with alfredo, and ground his teeth at the refusal he received. He wasn't forcing, he was just doing what they had always done and trying to share, but Kurt was being stubborn and it made Blaine feel desperate.

"Those cannoli look good. Let's take some home for dessert," Blaine urged. Kurt agreed, but the way his eyes slid sideways made Blaine suspect he wouldn't eat any.

Back in the loft, Kurt nearly sighed with relief when Rachel was there, chattering and hogging Blaine's attention. She kept their visitor engaged while Kurt got changed into his pajamas and wrapped himself in his thick robe.

"Let's have that dessert!" Blaine suggested, talking right over Rachel, when Kurt emerged. He turned to Rachel. "Cannoli. Would you like one?"

"She's vegan, sweetheart. Those have cream in them. But we have some fruit. Do you want some of the strawberries Bas left?" Kurt asked Rachel. She happily agreed, and Blaine wanted to strangle her because it gave Kurt the excuse to have the same thing and avoid the cannoli. Blaine counted. Kurt ate three strawberries. He felt ready to cry.

When Blaine suggested they go to bed, Kurt countered with an offer to watch tv, and Rachel again jumped in to enable Kurt in avoiding a possibly uncomfortable situation with Blaine. Blaine decided that he'd need to have a conversation with her about her behavior. Before he broke his jaw with how tight he kept clenching it.

But they laughed and enjoyed the shows they watched, and Kurt was dozing before they headed to bed. He slipped into bed and was asleep by the time Blaine got out of the bathroom and tried to talk with Rachel. The lack of privacy with the curtained bedrooms made the conversation even more awkward than it might have been as it was hissed in whispers. Blaine begged Rachel to do what she could to help him get Kurt to eat, but she dismissed his concerns and argued that Kurt needed to eat healthy, not all that animal flesh and product that Blaine was trying to force on him. Frustrated, Blaine went to bed and laid down with Kurt. Staring at Kurt's back, Blaine wondered if he was actually getting better like Bas thought. And he worried that there might not be anything they could do if he wasn't.

The next morning Blaine was up before Kurt with an idea on how to get him to eat more. He searched the kitchen and found the ingredients he needed for vegan blueberry pancakes and made a huge batch so Kurt wouldn't have an excuse not to eat any.

Kurt ignored them. He got his coffee and sat on the sofa and sipped it. Blaine waited until he came for his second cup, but couldn't hold back.

"Sweetie, I made pancakes. Will you eat with me? I waited for you."

Kurt stiffened, but eventually turned to Blaine with a forced smile. He had gotten used to eating one of the packages of nuts and dried fruit on the train in the morning, but he decided it was best to indulge Blaine. He took a single pancake and took his time eating it. When Blaine tried to push more on him, Kurt announced he was going to shower. In the bathroom with the water running, he was glad he had his phone in the pocket of his robe. He angrily texted Bas.

From Kurt: did you send Blaine here to fatten me up?!

He jabbed send, then quickly showered, leaving the cold water running when he got out so he'd have privacy for a few extra minutes without actually using up all the hot water.

From Bas: ? What's he doing?

From Kurt: like you don't know

From Bas: if he's doing something you don't like, fucking TELL him

From Kurt: did you put him up to anything?

From Bas: no, damnit! Quit being a little bitch and confront him instead of snapping at me

From Kurt: fine.

Kurt turned the water off, getting dressed and carefully doing his hair and smoothing his lotion onto his face and hands. He straightened his shoulders before he went out into the apartment. Blaine was sulking, still at the table across from Kurt's empty plate.

"Will you please come sit with me and talk?" Kurt asked as he moved to the couch. Blaine came and sat beside him.

"I don't like how you're treating me," Kurt stated. Blaine's jaw dropped. He'd been doing his best!

"What? I love you, Kurt. I'm trying to help!"

Kurt huffed and tried to stay calm. "Pressuring me isn't helpful. It makes me more stressed out, and stress is what got me here."

"I'm not pressuring you-"

"That's how it feels, though!" Kurt exclaimed, then took a deep breath. Blaine was sitting there looking like a puppy and Kurt had just kicked him. "Blaine, I know you love me and you want to make it all better, but...this is bigger than pancakes and cannoli. It's even bigger than the...the eating thing. That doctor Bas found for me...he really gets how things affect me. He's trying to help me figure out why I react the way I do, because if I don't know _why_ I'm not eating, or why I always have to have things go the way I expect or plan, then I won't be able to make _real_ , lasting changes. Does...does that make sense to you?"

Blaine melted. He felt like he'd been floundering, out of his depth trying to fix Kurt, and it made sense now that he couldn't. "What do you need from me?"

The tension Kurt had been aching with eased with that one question. He smiled at Blaine. "Right now I need to have fun with you while you're here. I need to not think about all the things that upset me and instead just be with the man I love."

Blaine took his hand and smiled back. "We can do that."

They put the pancakes away and Blaine went to get ready for the day.

From Kurt: crisis averted. See you later on Skype

From Bas: can't wait

The day went better with Kurt remembering to be honest about what he wanted and how he felt. It was a bit nervewracking for both of them, with Kurt feeling raw and exposed while still knowing he was always safe with Blaine, and Blaine trying not to smother Kurt; either with suggestions for a bigger lunch than the hummus and sprouts wrap he had, or to talk more about what was making him behave so seemingly self-destructively.

By the time they'd settled in after dinner (vegetable soup for both of them, and a ham and cheese panini with it for Blaine), they were both ready for the Skype session with Bas to hopefully break some of the tension between them. Rachel was out, so they'd have some privacy, and Blaine had a vague thought that maybe they could have some intimacy as well, hoping that Kurt's impotence had been a fluke with Bas.

"What's up, bitches?" Bas said as they connected. Kurt laughed. Blaine glanced at him and was surprised to see how relaxed he looked; much more at ease than he'd seen him since he arrived.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I took your advice and we've had a pretty good day," Kurt said, taking Blaine's hand.

"What advice?" Blaine asked.

"HRH Hummel there texted me this morning and accused me of sending you to do the dirty work of getting him to fucking eat. I told him to quit being a little bitch and talk to you," Bas replied, shrugging.

Kurt shook his head and leaned into Blaine. He kissed his cheek and smiled. "Good advice, too, huh?"

Blaine frowned. The change in Kurt was palpable. How did Bas do it?

But Kurt was being physically affectionate the way he'd avoided all day, and Blaine wasn't going to complain. He snuggled close to Kurt, trying to just enjoy it and not continually note the sharp angles of his bones and not flinch at how little of him there was to hold.

"Having fun in New York, Blainers?" Bas asked, his voice softening from the sharpness with which he'd addressed Kurt.

"Yeah, yeah, of course. But the best part is seeing Kurt," Blaine said, kissing Kurt's cheek. Kurt smiled at him with that same genuine, relaxed expression he gave Bas, and Blaine felt real hope that the evening might improve.

They talked for nearly an hour, and all three were more at ease as they said goodnight.

"Make sure you give him plenty of those Blaine cuddles tonight, short stuff. With no extra meat on his bones he gets cold easily," Bas admonished.

Blaine automatically put his other arm around Kurt and rested his head on Kurt's shoulder.

"Will do, Bas," Blaine agreed, reading Bas's approval for his physical affection into the suggestion. It would be a great night, he was sure.

"Goodnight, my pushy boy," Kurt said pointedly. Bas just blew a kiss, winked, and signed off.

They were a bit hesitant as they got into bed together; Kurt still self-conscious of his body and Blaine suddenly unsure how any physical advances would be taken. They got under the covers without touching and laid there in the dark.

"Will you hold me? Just, um, just hold me. I'm not... I can't do anything, um, sexually, but I really loved being held when Bas was here," Kurt finally whispered.

"Of course!" Blaine reached out and they snuggled close. He ran his hand up and down Kurt's back once, then stopped. Feeling the bumps of his spine and ribs was horrifying. What would he do if he lost Kurt to this? Tears of fear filled his eyes. "Please tell me you're going to get better," Blaine choked. All thoughts of sex fled in the rush of terror.

Kurt tensed, then had to switch mental gears. Blaine needed reassurance, as he always did.

"I'm trying, baby. Dr Martin is helping me figure things out. I won't give up."

"Your doctor is Doc Martin?" Blaine asked with a shaky giggle. "Those were your favorite boots in high school."

"It's spelled differently, but yes, my psychiatrist is Dr Martin," Kurt replied, huffing a chuckle. "And I still love my Docs."

They settled down, more relaxed from the levity, and fell asleep.

~~Glee~~

The next day Kurt reheated one of Blaine's pancakes and ate it without comment. Blaine was happy to see him eat, but wished he'd have more. He didn't say anything, however.

Kurt brought Blaine to the NYADA campus, and Blaine explored while Kurt spent time in a practice room on his vocal exercises, and then in the dance studio. They met up with Rachel for lunch, and she overwhelmed the conversation as normal, with complaints about her classmates and praise for a select few. Kurt joined in and Blaine smiled to see him more animated than he had been in months.

Rachel took Blaine sightseeing while Kurt rehearsed with Pamela Lansbury, and they met back up afterwards with Santana joining them and Elliott begging off. Dani blended well with the New Directions member and alumni and the group enjoyed dinner together before parting ways.

Kurt needed to study, and Blaine had to pack for his flight the next day.

When they eventually climbed into bed, Blaine reached for Kurt. They kissed softly, but Blaine soon grew more passionate and Kurt drew back.

"Sweetie, I don't know if Bas told you, but I can't, um..."

"I know. It's okay. But seeing you has made me kind of horny, Kurt. Do you think..." Blaine blushed. "Could you kiss me while I beat off? Would that be too weird?" It was his plan to ease Kurt into some sexy play, but Kurt's expression in the dim light looked sad, and made him doubt himself. But he'd already made the suggestion, so he just waited for Kurt's response.

Kurt's heart ached and tears burned in his eyes, but he hid it as best he could, grateful for the darkness. "I can do that. I can even tell you what to do a little, if you want."

Blaine shuddered. Maybe it was working. That was so hot! "Oh god, yes, please, would you? L-like you do with your texts?"

Kurt swallowed hard and pushed Blaine onto his side, spooning behind him and putting his mouth right next to Blaine's ear.

"Push your pants down and tuck them behind your balls, baby," Kurt said. Blaine quickly did as he was told, shifting back so Kurt's hips were tight against his ass, hoping for a response from Kurt's cock. "Now just hold the head and squeeze a little."

Kurt led Blaine through two edgings then finally let him come, shaking and sweating and moaning his gratitude as soon as he cleaned himself and started to doze. Swallowing tears of frustration and shame that he couldn't respond physically to the incredibly sexy experience, Kurt held Blaine until he too fell asleep.

~~Glee~~

Kurt was subdued in the morning and Blaine worried. The sex hadn't gone as he'd hoped, and he was ashamed he'd fallen asleep so quickly after. They had breakfast, and got ready to go together, but Blaine stopped Kurt before they could leave.

"Did I screw up last night?" Blaine asked. Kurt took in his boyfriend's wide, worried eyes and quickly wrapped him in a hug.

"Sweetheart, no. I love making you feel good. I'm just sad I can't join you. I feel... I'm ashamed I let myself get to this point, and-"

"No! God, Kurt, no! I don't want you to feel bad. I just... I was selfish, and I'm sorry."

"None of this is your fault. I should be able to handle all this and it kills me that I can't."

"Kurt-" Blaine broke into sobs then, and Kurt soothed him as best he could until they had to leave or miss their train.

Sitting together on the subway, Blaine kept his head on Kurt's shoulder and Kurt sadly counted down the stops until they'd have to part for Blaine to go to the airport and Kurt to school.

"I love you, sweetheart. Thank you for coming to help me," Kurt whispered as they left the next to last stop before their split.

Blaine turned and hugged Kurt tightly. "I love you too. It's going to be alright. I swear." He wanted to say so much more but he couldn't find the words.

"I know. Here's my stop. I'll see you soon on Skype. Text me when you get home, okay?"

They kissed and Kurt stepped out onto the platform, turning around to wave until the train disappeared on it's way. Blaine waved back, his big, gentle heart in his eyes.

Kurt headed to the streets, setting his jaw in determination. Blaine needed him to get better, so he had best knuckle down and get to it.

~~Glee~~

Changing wasn't as easy as making up his mind to do it, Kurt found. He slid back into his habit of staying busy from morning until bed by the end of the week, and found himself having to think hard about when he'd eaten and admit that he'd skipped more than a few meal times. On his way home Friday night, he stopped and bought a couple of six packs of Ensure meal replacement drinks. Perhaps if he had those to hand as well as the snacks Bas had stocked up on, he'd remember to consume something.

On Skype the next day, Kurt told Bas and Blaine about the drinks.

"Anything, babe. Whatever it takes," Bas reassured. He made a mental note to send weekly edible arrangements and other food baskets to Kurt. Whatever it would take.

The next week he did better, and then his vocal class had a big performance and he slipped again. He expressed his frustration to his doctor, who made him analyze every thought he had until he grew exhausted from the self-reflection.

Texting Blaine his orders was a highlight of Kurt's day with the enthusiastic response he always got in return. Knowing Bas enjoyed the control games too, Kurt tried to send him instructions as well a few times a week. He didn't know that the simple commands would cause the first big fight he and Bas had had since he came to New York.

 _A/N Thank you everyone who's reading and especially those who have lifted my spirits with reviews. The chapter titles are generally lines from songs which resonated in some way with each chapter. Theis one is from Tongue Tied by Faber Drive, introduced to me by the fabulous Klaine writer holdingdaylight (on ao3 and tumblr). If you want emotionally raw, heartbreaking angst, you should check her out!_


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N I'm posting a day early in case this fic might provide some distraction and mental respite for readers who are as devastated as I am by the insane election in America. My beta reader sent me this as comfort:_ _"I really think the ONLY way for all of us to get through this is to not let it make us feel helpless. After we give ourselves a moment to deal with the reality of our grief and anger and fear, we need to figure out a way we can help make a difference to the people who will be marginalized by this. That will help us to not feel like we're at the mercy of something beyond our control. We may not be able to fix HIM and his kind, but we can help fix the damage he will do until we can vote him out of office._

 _My mom used to tell me, "You haven't lost as long as you have something to fight for." So we need to fight for each other and for the people out there who have to be scared for their rights and their freedom and maybe even their lives right now_."

 _I just signed up to volunteer at my local LGBT community center. What can you do?_

Chapter Twelve

Steps Back

After Blaine came back to Ohio, gushing via text and voice about how loved and cared for he felt with Kurt texting him instructions for how and when to get off, Bas started to worry that the control part of Kurt and Blaine's interaction was something Kurt wanted more of with him as well. While it sometimes was hot to have Kurt directing his solo sex life, Bas found he preferred to fantasize about the real thing and focus on memories of fucking and getting fucked (Kurt might not like the phrasing, but to Bas it was natural) in order to get off.

Sebastian just didn't know how to ask if he wasn't giving Kurt what Kurt needed with regard to that part of their relationship. Withdrawing and hiding behind sarcasm were his default when he was upset, and Kurt noticed.

Late one night after a long day, Kurt finally got fed up and called Sebastian. He was just starting to talk with his therapist about this particular aspect of their relationship, and he wasn't sure what Bas wanted.

"What is going on with you? Are you wanting me to go further with this Dom stuff? Are you pushing boundaries to try to get me to discipline you?"

Bas went cold. Discipline. _Punishment_. His breath caught and he felt sick, memories surfacing with red-washed clarity of his father slapping him, hitting him with anything that came to hand, whipping him with the cord of the blender after he'd broken it.

"Fuck you, Princess," Bas snarled, and hung up.

Kurt couldn't believe that Bas had hung up on him. He called back, but it went straight to voicemail. He huffed. He didn't have time for this. He needed to get to sleep.

From Kurt: that was incredibly rude, Sebastian. I expect an apology

Kurt put his phone on his charger and went to bed. He slept restlessly, and woke haunted by images of Bas's skin when he was in the hospital after his car accident, and the thin white scars he knew so well that were all over Bas's back. How had he been so thoughtless as to offer to discipline a boy who'd been abused? He felt horrible.

Picking up his phone, Kurt was disappointed but not surprised that there were no messages from either of his boyfriends on it.

From Kurt: I think I understand why you hung up on me. I am deeply sorry, my dear boy. Please call or text me anytime today so that I may apologize properly.

But Bas didn't call, and Kurt forgot to eat at all with how worried he was.

By the time he got home from class, he couldn't stand it anymore. He called, and moaned when it went to voicemail.

"Bas, I'm so, so sorry. I never want to remind you of your father. Please call me? Please?" Kurt spoke in a pained whisper into his phone. He sank down on his bed and felt himself shaking.

From Kurt to Blaine: I screwed up with Bas and I'm worried he hates me. He's not returning my calls or texts. Can you make time to go see him tomorrow and check he's okay?

From Blaine: of course. Don't get mad at me, but... Have you eaten today?

Kurt shuddered and curled up on his bed. He couldn't eat. He couldn't even move.

From Blaine to Bas: you're worrying Kurt, and you know he doesn't handle worry in healthy ways. Please at least text him goodnight?

From Bas to Kurt: I'm still mad but I care about you. Don't be stupid. Take care of yourself or I'm gonna be even more pissed

Kurt burst into tears at the text. Sobbing, he reached into his nightstand and opened the little can of Ensure he'd put there for the times when he unthinkingly went to bed without eating and remembered in the night, gagging on the taste as he chugged it. He took a picture of the empty can and texted it to Bas, sniffling as he pulled his boots off and crawled under his comforter, clutching his phone and awaiting a response.

From Bas: good. Now go to sleep

From Kurt: I'm so sorry honey

From Bas: sleep

From Kurt: goodnight

After that, Kurt focused his Domming efforts solely on Blaine, and Sebastian didn't seem to mind.

~~Glee~~

Kurt's breakthrough came when his therapist helped him see that what he always called 'stress' was actually a pervasive feeling of anxiety. Together, they went back through Kurt's life for the rest of the session, with Kurt identifying situation after situation where anxiety was the cause for unhealthy behaviors. When he left the office that day, his mind continued to seek out all the ways he'd acted from fear and self-judgement. He was a mess of self-recrimination that night on the phone with Blaine.

"Wait, no, Kurt! You're a wonderful, caring person! Please stop tearing yourself down!" Blaine cried after fifteen solid minutes of Kurt berating himself for the mistakes he'd made in high school.

"-and I refused to let anyone help me! I knew what was best, I had to have it my way, and it's led me to the wreck I am, and I don't have any idea what to do about it and-"

"Kurt please stop... Please..." Blaine had tears pouring down his face. Kurt's voice was pitched high and he sounded more and more frantIc with each sentence.

"-can't handle high school, how am I ever supposed to handle Broadway or the fashion industry-"

"Lady Hummel!" Santana's voice thundered like the wrath of god. Kurt cut off abruptly.

"Santana, I am on the _phone_!" Kurt snapped.

"You're wailing like a siren! Nothing good will come from you laying out every mistake you've ever made. Certainly nothing good will come to me from listening to it, anyway. So either switch to silent laments, or get over yourself already!"

Blaine could clearly hear the aggressive latina and inwardly relaxed in relief as Kurt switched from listing his own faults to complaining about his roommates.

Within a few minutes, Kurt's sarcastic snark had restored his equilibrium, and Blaine was able to talk about his own problems for a few minutes before they said goodnight. Kurt returned to his homework, but Blaine called Sebastian.

"I didn't know what to do or how to stop him, Bas," Blaine said in a pained voice after telling him about the call with Kurt.

"Babe, it's good he can vent to you, but you can't let him spiral. You said he admitted to having anxiety? Well, we've gotta look up how to deal with that, how to help him."

"Santana snapped him out of it, but she's so mean... I can't be mean to Kurt!"

"You'll have to find your way to help him, Blaine. Everyone is different."

Bas called Kurt himself that night. "So are you still freaking out?" He asked immediately when Kurt answered.

"You know, sometimes it sucks having you two talking about me behind my back," Kurt sighed.

"You're just a causality. Blaine talked to me about his own reaction."

"Ohmygod, is he upset? Should I call him? Make this a three way call, Bas!"

"No. Not yet. Kurt... It's good you're figuring out what's going on with you. But what did the doctor say to you about coping? He can't have told you to keep berating yourself for having anxiety. That doesn't make sense."

"No. No, he, um, he encouraged me to talk to you guys about it, though."

"...us?"

"You and Blaine. He knows... I told him about our relationship. I know that's part of why you chose him for me."

"Yeah. I hoped..." Bas tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. "So, telling us, and then what?"

"I guess just to ask for your support."

"You've got that. Unequivocally. It doesn't mean we're gonna put up with you using yourself as a punching bag. This is something you have going on. You're in therapy to help it not be a controlling factor in your life. You have pharmaceutical options if necessary. No drama needed, alright?"

Kurt sighed. Bas made it sound so simple. Just a thing, that was one little part of their life, not the enormous, horrible monstrosity that he had built it up to be in his mind. "How is it that you defuse me like no one else ever has? You're better than my dad, and he's really good at it."

"Natural talent. But speaking of your father... I think it's time for you to tell him."

"He already knows about us. I think he doesn't approve-"

"About your anxiety and eating thing and seeing a doctor, Blue Eyes. Your dad will be another person who can help you see that this isn't insurmountable."

"I don't... I don't want to tell him something like this over the phone," Kurt's voice quavered. He closed his eyes and put his hand over them. "I don't... I don't know how to tell him at all."

"He needs to know," Bas said, his voice soft. "Do you, um, do you want me to tell him?"

Kurt choked. The offer was so generous. He knew how uncomfortable Bas was with fathers, and he and Burt had never been able to find any common ground. "I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking, I'm offering," Bas said. It suddenly clicked in his mind that this was something Kurt needed him to make the choice on, so he did. "No, I'm making sure you're not going to freak out if I tell him, because I'm gonna go over there tomorrow to do it. The only thing that'll stop me is if you tell me you're gonna dump me if I do..."

Kurt laughed. It was absurd.

"My dear, dear Bas, I wouldn't do that. You know it. I..." He grew serious. "I can't tell you how much this means to me."

"You just did."

Kurt never learned the details of Bas talking to Burt about the problems he was having and all the generosity Bas was showing, but Burt's voicemail afterward was supportive as always, and Kurt texted Bas a thank you before bed.

~~Glee~~

Sebastian walked into Hummel Tire and Lube the following afternoon. He locked his nerves down, forcing himself to think of the relief he'd heard in Kurt's voice as an antidote. With all Kurt had done for him, there was nothing he wouldn't do in return.

"Can I help you?" Burt Hummel came at him from the side, around the end of a station wagon. Bas lifted his chin.

"May I speak with you, sir?"

"Kinda busy here," Burt gestured at the full bays of vehicles.

"It's important, Mr Hummel. It's about Kurt."

Burt stared hard at him, frowning, but jerked his head toward the office.

They sat down.

"I went to see Kurt a few weeks ago," Bas began. Burt grunted. Bas hesitated. "Um, before I get into this, let me tell you that Kurt is okay, he's getting professional help, and he wants you to be part of his recovery," he backtracked. Burt's eyes widened and Bas shook his head. "I'm sorry. I made it sound like drugs. It's not drugs, okay? But it is serious."

"I think you better keep talking."

"Rachel texted Blaine and told him Kurt passed out in dance class and had lost weight. Blaine couldn't leave right then, so I went."

Burt's eyes were looking so intensely at him that Bas stuttered.

"H-he's lost a l-lot of weight. When I got him to think about it, he realized that he hadn't really been eating. Um, at all, kind of."

"What?!" Burt started to reach for the phone on his desk.

"Sir, please... Let me tell you everything, then you can take a little time before you call him. He needs you to be supportive, not demanding."

"How do you come off telling me what my son needs?"

"I love him!" Bas snapped. Then he froze. It was true, but he'd never admitted it to himself, let alone Kurt or Blaine. He swallowed hard and plowed on. "I dropped everything to go to New York, and I got him to admit he had a problem and agree to get help. I found him a doctor and stayed until he'd had an appointment. I got him to eat three meals a day while I was there. I love him and I took care of him the best anyone could have. That's why I feel justified telling you what Kurt needs. Please, will you listen? This isn't just an eating disorder."

Burt fumed, his face red, but he sealed his lips tight and nodded for Bas to continue.

"He kept saying it was stress, but his doctor has helped him see that what he calls stress is a clinical anxiety disorder. He's starting to learn how to prioritize and hopefully, to find out that he doesn't need to control every little detail of his life and everyone else's in order to feel alright. He might try a prescription for it. Blaine and I are doing everything we can, but he needs his full support structure for this. The other night he got caught up like a hamster on a wheel listing all his failings. If he does that, you've gotta snap him out of it, you just-"

"I know how to circumvent a Kurt-rant, kid. Been doing it a long time."

Bas sagged back in the plastic chair. Of course. "Ohmygod, I just realized why this spiraled out of control in New York. You've always helped him manage it, and out there he didn't have anyone willing to do that."

"What about Rachel? They were supposed to take care of each other."

"She's..." Bas paused. He'd never liked Rachel and decided not to sugar coat his words. After all, the girl had been living with Kurt, watching him deteriorate, and done nothing until he'd physically collapsed. From what Blaine had said he saw, she'd enabled his eating disorder as well. "She's a narcissistic, self-involved diva. Santana takes better care of Kurt than Rachel, and she's a total bitch."

Burt's eyes widened, then narrowed.

"He's getting help?" Burt finally asked, after studying Bas and thinking hard about what he'd heard.

"Yes."

"And he knows you're here."

"Of course."

"But you've never told him you love him."

Bas's jaw dropped. "Um..."

Burt smirked a little. "That's okay. Kurt's good at reading people's actions and understanding their motives. Way better'n me." He took a deep breath and reached his hand across toward Sebastian. Bas took it and they shook. "Thank you for taking care of my son; for caring for him and doing what he needs, even if he doesn't like it."

Bas chuckled. Burt knew Kurt so well.

"Kurt helped save me from myself. I'd do anything for him."

"Well, then, you come to dinner when he's back in town, you hear?"

"I can do that."

~~Glee~~

"-and Sherry declares that the dress could only work if it was bright canary yellow, and Isabelle is looking at her like she's grown another head!" Kurt said, laughing. He had had a wonderful time in meetings and design conferences leading up to fashion week. It was great to see him so unabashedly happy, and Bas decided it was a good time to bring up something he'd been thinking about. His spring break had worked out well for a visit to see Kurt, and even though they were waiting to get sexual until Blaine arrived for the weekend, it had been great to spend the time together. Even better had been Kurt's shy confession that he was going to be able to have sex again. The relief Bas felt that Kurt's body was no longer in starvation mode was fantastic.

Taking a long drink of his water, Bas finally cleared his throat, stopping Kurt's lovely humming as he worked on starting dinner.

"What's on your mind?" Kurt asked.

"This whole, um, control thing. Obviously Blaine is into it, and I guess I kinda like it sometimes, but I wonder if..."

"You're not usually so tentative, Bas. Just spit it out."

"What about turning that around? I've read some stuff on the psychology of this, and I'm thinking it might be good for you to have a time where you give up that control completely. To, uh, Blaine, or something. I know it'd have to be someone you trust utterly."

Kurt's stomach twisted at the thought of giving up control to anyone, but his protectiveness overrode the reaction, hearing yet again that Bas felt like he wasn't on the same level in their relationship that Blaine was. He took Bas's hand and squeezed it hard.

"Bas, I trust _you_ completely, too," he said earnestly, looking into Bas's eyes as he said it. He saw the flicker of emotion there, then a reaction he hadn't anticipated. He could tell Bas was suddenly wondering if Kurt wanted _him_ to take control. "But in any case, I don't think I'm capable of letting anyone command me about what to eat or when to use the bathroom or -god forbid!- what to wear."

Bas laughed at the thought of anyone telling Kurt Hummel what he could or couldn't wear. He ran his thumb across Kurt's knuckles. "I wasn't thinking something like that, like what you do for Blaine. Maybe more...sexually."

"I never use pain-"

"Not the pain and humiliation part. Just... Letting us take care of you. You sort of let us do that when you got your NYADA rejection last year. That went pretty well, didn't it?"

Kurt's face burned. "I honestly don't remember much. Your dad's apartment, and, um, yeah, you guys holding me and...stuff. But that whole time is just a black hole of hurt, Bas."

"Of course. There's no reason you should remember that. I...I'm just suggesting maybe you try it sometime. Let us take care of you," Sebastian said quickly. Kurt knew something was wrong from the way Bas's eyes had suddenly become unreadable, but he didn't know what it was.

"Bas-"

"Look, Blaine should be here soon. We need to get dinner going, right? Will you trust me to chop vegetables or whatever?"

Kurt decided to let it go for the moment. Maybe Blaine would know.

When Blaine arrived, they ate dinner, Kurt still feeling the tension in Bas, and flinching at a couple of unkind comments and sneers from the tall boy.

"Bas... I don't know why Kurt isn't saying anything, but you're being kind of mean to him. What's going on?" Blaine asked while he and Bas cleaned up in the kitchen.

Kurt heard, but pretended he hadn't.

"Well if the all-holy Kurt isn't complaining, I guess you don't have anything to worry about, huh?" Bas snapped.

"Hey! He's worried about you, just like I am. Don't you ever be mean to him," Kurt said, dropping the pretense and leaping up. He came over to face the two boys, and Blaine looked like a deer in headlights, his eyes bouncing between them.

"I'm not getting stuck in between you two. I'm gonna go get coffee or something," Blaine said. He shook his head at them.

Kurt frowned, looking like he wanted to protest but couldn't as Blaine grabbed his jacket and left.

"Blaine is the sweetest person I know. I don't want you to ever treat him like that again, Sebastian," Kurt said in a low voice.

"Of course! It's always about Blaine! God forbid I ever say a harsh word where baby Blaine might hear! He's a grown man, Kurt. He won't thank you for eternally fighting his battles for him."

"I don't want to fight at all! Why are you being a dick?"

"What, _I'm_ being a dick? I'm obviously not that important to you, so-"

"What are you talking about?!" Kurt shouted shrilly. "I know I said something that set you off, but I don't know what it was! Will you just tell me already?"

"Why should I bother? I'll never mean to you what Blaine does!"

"Damnit, Bas! I'm not perfect! I'm not a mind reader! Would you please, please just tell me what I did that hurt you so much that you've reverted to the arrogant prick you were when we met?"

Bas turned away, his face burning. He had struggled so hard to stop being the cruel person he'd become trying to protect himself. He was shaking with anger and pain but couldn't find any way to vent it.

Kurt swallowed his own reactionary anger and put his arms around the stiff figure of Sebastian.

"Bas... I've hurt you. I'm so sorry that anything I've done has caused you pain. But my dear boy, I _don't know_ what I did. How can I know that I won't do it again if I don't know what it is? Please, when you're ready, would you tell me?"

Kurt could hear Bas swallow, and he felt it when he nodded, then sighed in relief when Sebastian reached up and put his hands over Kurt's.

Feeling the muscles in Bas's body wrapped tight on his bones made Kurt ache. He rested his forehead against Sebastian's neck and whispered to him.

"Honey, I never want to hurt you. I never mean to. It kills me that I've done something so bad that you're hiding behind all your old defenses."

Bas hated himself. He'd driven Blaine away when they only had a precious 48 hours together all three of them, and he'd made Kurt feel horrible. He had to fix this if he could.

"You and Blaine keep track of every fucking milestone between you, but you can't even remember the first time I fucked you," Bas whispered. Kurt's jaw dropped and he didn't even correct Sebastian's use of the crass 'fuck'. With tears in his eyes, Kurt moved around in front of Bas and put his head on Bas's shoulder.

"Bas... You want to know what I remember from that night? I remember that you wanted so much to take care of me that you took us to a place you should never have had to go back to. You subjected yourself to that apartment where you were _beaten_. Regularly. The place you told me I could be as loud as I wanted and no one could hear. My heart broke for you, and I knew that night that you were serious about being with us, and that night is when I really let myself fall for you." He raised his head and looked searchingly into Bas's eyes. "I'm glad you reminded me that that's the night we were first together that way. We should remember that. You're right that we haven't made as big a deal out of our milestones as Blaine and I do. He needs that, Bas, so I do my best to mark each thing. If you want that, too, I will get you cookies and balloons and make every anniversary special. Please forgive me?"

"I don't need all the fanfare. I just... I guess I needed to know that it meant something to you."

Kurt kissed him firmly. "It meant you really, truly cared for me, enough to put me before your own pain. It was a beautiful gift."

Bas's lips curved slightly. "Don't even start thinking of my pain as a gift. I'm so not into that."

Kurt chuckled and shook his head. "No. Me either."

They got Blaine to come back and Bas lightly told him what the fight had been about and apologized. Kurt wasn't completely satisfied with that, but he'd take what he could get.

The weekend was memorable but bittersweet as they all knew that when Blaine and Bas flew back to Ohio, the trio would be apart until Kurt finished school in May. They made to most of the visit, celebrating the recovery of Kurt's sexual ability that had come with his slightly increased weight, but all bemoaned the gap of time they faced before they'd be together again.

~~Glee~~

"I'm going to kill one of them. I mean it. They're driving me absolutely nuts! Rachel is the most insane diva and Santana is Satan incarnate! I hope you won't mind visiting me in prison or going on the lam with me, because-"

"Hey! Sweetheart, calm down, okay. Remember that I can't stop you when you're like this so you'll have to stop yourself," Blaine said, admitting the truth that he'd only spoken to Bas.

Kurt took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay. You're right." Two more long breaths followed and he felt a little better.

"Bas thinks I should...give up control. Sexually. To you two. Like, over Skype. Let you tell me what to do and-"

It wasn't what Kurt had planned to say, but how to bring it up had weighed on him, and so it spilled out.

"Wow. I never pictured you wanting to sub," was Blaine's reaction.

"Ugh. You know I don't like those terms."

"I just don't see how you could do it. You enjoy controlling everything."

"I do, but... Look, it's Bas's idea. What do you think if we try it over the phone or Skype?"

"I can't be on the line for it, Kurt."

"What? Why?"

"You'll keep trying to take care of me."

Kurt paused and quickly realized Blaine was right.

"But... We don't do that one on one."

"If this might help you, baby, I'm okay with it."

So a few days later when Kurt had the loft to himself for several hours, Bas faked a migraine and went to his room, missing the whole afternoon of classes.

"Take some deep breaths and try to just let everything go. I want you to focus on my voice, okay, Blue Eyes?"

Kurt nodded. Bas's voice was like velvet, sliding through his headset directly into his mind, and he found himself relaxing and following the instructions almost effortlessly.

"Run your hands from your nipples to your hipbones," Bas directed. His mouth was already dry seeing Kurt leaning back on his pillows, naked. Kurt did as Bas said, stroking his strong, elegant hands up and down. "Rub your nipples. First finger, in circles."

Seeing Kurt get goosebumps made something in Sebastian release. The tension in his shoulders melted away and he smiled. "Kurt, you're amazing," he breathed. Kurt's erection jumped at Bas's rare use of his name. "Okay. Keep on your left nip and slide your right hand down to roll your balls. Tease yourself..."

Arousal warmed Kurt's body, and he lost himself in the sensations.

"Give yourself a couple of long dry pulls, then get the lube," Sebastian said. He gasped softly when Kurt's body arched into each stroke of his hand. "Oh god, you're beautiful... Now, get a little on your left forefinger and more on your right palm, then leave the tube."

Kurt found himself focused solely on the smooth voice in his ears and the hot pleasure in his body.

"You're gonna stroke your cock root to tip, slowly, three times. All the way up and off, with a pause in between. After the third stroke, slide your slick finger inside, just to the first knuckle," Bas instructed. "Begin."

By the third slow upsweep, Kurt's entire body was quaking, and he made an agonized sound when his finger breached his ass. Sebastian was so enraptured by the sight he forgot he was supposed to tell him what to do next until Kurt whimpered like a puppy. Bas shook himself.

"Go ahead and fuck yourself with that finger, babe, but don't touch your cock."

Kurt wantonly rocked his hips, meeting his thrusting finger and Bas let him go on like that for a minute or so.

"Jack yourself now, fast. But tell me before you come," Sebastian ordered, and gasped as Kurt obeyed, curling up over his dick and still fucking himself with his finger.

"Oh. Oh! C-Close-"

"Stop!"

Kurt froze as directed but raised his head and stared at the screen. "What?!"

Bas smirked. "I'm in charge tonight babe, and I don't want you coming yet."

"But-"

"Let go, Kurt, both hands."

Kurt flung his arms wide out to either side, as if he didn't trust his hands near his body.

"Let me handle the decisions, alright?" Sebastian murmured.

"I... I... Oh god. Bas, you're gonna let me come, right? Please, this is so hot-"

"If you earn it, Blue Eyes," Bas said, winking. "Now, just play with your balls..."

Bas kept him playing with his nipples and balls as the need receded into a simmer from its near boil.

"Okay now, babe, I want you to finger yourself again, really good this time, with as many fingers as you want. You're gonna get in there and massage your prostate. Don't touch your cock, just inside. I wanna see you drooling out that beautiful dick for a long while before I let you finish."

Kurt made a frustrated, impatient sound.

"Don't think, just listen. Feel. There ya go, one finger, right inside... Find that spot. Tell me when you've got it..."

"Uh... Ngh! Th-there... Bas... Ohmygod... Feels... Oh!"

"Yeah, that's it babe. I want you rubbing it. Find what feels best and just go for it..."

Kurt spent several minutes working himself over, managing three fingers curled inside himself, making low moans. He was starting to shake, hard. Tremors chased through him and he gasped for air until he grew lightheaded. Bas made him stop and breathe with him, then crooned to him, encouraging him to do as he was told.

Continuing to murmur encouragement, Bas's voice went gutteral at the intensity of his own arousal. Watching Kurt touch himself, making him do that; tease himself, curled up, his long legs folded up and splayed out, his pale skin blooming into red blotches, seeing the light glint on the wetness that seeped in long drips to coat his gorgeous torso was almost more that Bas could handle. The only reason he wasn't jerking himself raw was that this was about Kurt, about trying to give back some measure of the care Kurt had shown him.

"Gah! Ah! Bas! Please! Please, honey, I've gotta come! I've never been this turned on! Please... Ngh! Oh... Oh, _god_..."

"Look at me, Kurt," Bas ordered. Several sobs later, Kurt's eyes opened and he stared down at the screen. "Keep your eyes on me."

"Uh-huh. Okay," Kurt gasped. His eyes were feverish and he just looked _wrecked_.

"Use your left hand on your cock. Just the shaft!" He clarified as Kurt grabbed wildly for himself. "Don't go near the head."

Kurt whined, writhing.

"Now stroke, but don't touch the head at all, alright? And keep working inside. Rub harder, babe. I want you to come without the head of your cock getting touched if you can. Go as fast and hard as you want now. You can come as soon as you can like this. Just keep looking at me."

Sweat made Kurt's hair wilt over his forehead and he twitched his head back to clear his eyes so he could obey. He kept blinking hard to keep his vision free of the tears that made it hard to see. Everything came down to Bas's voice, his directives, and the aching need in Kurt's body. He'd never tried to come this way before. Stroking himself with his left hand was awkward, and his prostate was getting so sensitive that it almost hurt. A single stroke up over the head of his dick would be enough; maybe even just bumping it with his fist, but Bas's instructions were clear and Kurt didn't even think of disobeying.

"Yeah, Blue Eyes, you can do it. You're so beautiful, Kurt. You're so fucking beautiful, babe. Such a good boy. You deserve it... You can come... Good boy... Give it to me, my good boy..."

" _Sebastian_!" Kurt wailed. The praise had done it. His fingers jammed hard against his prostate, and the head of his cock pulsed like a bass drum as more fluid burst from it in explosive gouts. He convulsed, desperately trying to keep his eyes open. Bas's eyes were like a lifeline, letting him let himself go and just feel everything. He trusted that Bas would keep him safe and grounded.

"Okay, babe, okay... Let go. Relax... It's okay... You're so good..."

Kurt sobbed and curled on his side as he withdrew his hands. Bas kept up a soothing litany of praise and reassurance, and eventually Kurt calmed. He followed Bas's directions to clean up, drink the sweet tea he'd put on his nightstand, and get into comfortable clothes.

"That's it babe. Listen to my voice. It's time to sleep. Imagine I'm laying with you, holding you close. You're safe and calm and you don't have to worry about anything at all. Relax, babe. Let go. I'm here..."

Kurt's breath slowed and evened out into a low huffing and Bas knew he was asleep.

"God, I love you..." Bas breathed. Tears filled his eyes and he reluctantly closed the session, yanking his earbuds out and burying his face in his hands. He missed Kurt more than he had ever missed anything in his life, and unless this miraculously set Kurt free of all worry and stress, he didn't think he could do it again.

 _A/N I'm going to give warning that chapter 13 covers Finn's death. I struggled about how to handle it, and the chapter is a rather different style than the rest. Being Kurt-centric, it's reflective of his state of mind. If you can't handle the emotional pain of revisiting the loss yet again, I think you could skip reading it entirely and pick back up with 14 the following week._


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N Sorry for a downer chapter while we're in the middle of this upheaval. I'll try to post 14 early. Thanks for reading._

Chapter Thirteen

On The Horizon

Calls in the middle of the night aren't always bad. Kurt remembered fondly when Bas and Blaine had called him at Christmas for phone sex at four in the morning, but he understood the assumption forever after the unimaginable call that night.

"Kurt? Buddy, I'm so damn sorry to have to tell you this over the phone, son," Burt began.

"Ohmygod, are you okay-what's wrong?" Kurt had never woken up so fast, nor had he have a fog descend on his mind as quickly afterward.

The words floated in his mind like a whisper: _Finn is dead... I'm never going to see Finn again..._

The one clear memory that burned through was Rachel's horrified, distraught expression when he had to tell her.

Calling Bas and Blaine and telling them was too surreal to feel as if it really was happening.

"...text you when I have your flight booked... ...pick you up at the airport..." Bas's voice buzzed while Blaine cried.

Kurt roused enough to ask Bas to go to Blaine's house so he'd have comfort, but drifted back into his shroud soon after.

The text messages from Sebastian got Kurt moving, and the next thing he had full awareness of was walking slowly toward baggage claim and being pulled into his tall boyfriend's strong arms.

Bas grabbed his suitcase and guided him out to the Porsche.

"Is Blaine okay?" Kurt asked as they rolled along the highway toward Lima.

"Yeah, the glee kids are gathered and I left him with them."

"Oh."

Bas and Blaine were the only people who noticed how thin Kurt was when he came to Lima for Finn's funeral and then the memorial. Even Burt barely registered it, just asking in passing if he was letting his boys take care of him, and, once he received an affirmative, returning his entire focus to his wife.

Carole was a mess. Mostly seen staring desolately into nowhere, at home Kurt heard her crying several times through the closed bedroom door.

Both Blaine and Bas stood by Kurt at the funeral, and Bas kept himself available to drive Kurt anywhere he needed to go for the short time he was in town.

Sebastian wanted to return to New York with him, but Kurt refused and went home with Rachel.

For Kurt, the weeks between learning of Finn's death until the memorial were spent mostly trading time with various friends so Rachel was never alone. He was able to go to most of his classes, but he begged off from Vogue and put the band on hiatus.

Elliott brought food to the loft several times, and Dani had taken Santana in to stay with her.

Kurt backslid regarding his eating and Bas started texting or calling to tell him when he needed to have something.

Blaine got on board organizing the memorial with the New Directions and Mr Schuester, helping arrange it and contacting alumni to try to get everyone together.

It wasn't until Kurt was in Lima again that he started to come out of the mind cloud he'd been moving through, and when the pain started, he wished he could draw it back around him to insulate him from his grief and the grief everyone else was experiencing.

Helping Burt and Carole start to sort Finn's belongings made Kurt feel like the hurt his parents were feeling was pressure pushing in on him. It hurt in his gut, and he tried not to give in and cry. When Carole broke down, he felt the walls between him and his emotions start to crack as he and Burt did what they could to comfort her.

He shored the walls up when he spent time at McKinley with the glee club, past and present, and he found some comfort in supporting others in their breakdowns. Blaine, Santana, Mercedes... Rachel, when she surprised everyone and showed up.

The night before Kurt left to return to his life in the city, the trio took a drive together to Indian Lake. Kurt drove Blaine's car, and Bas sat in the back seat, keeping a sharp eye on both boys up front.

They sat together on a bench overlooking the water as the sun dropped further and further in the sky. Kurt's hands were both held, one by each of the others on either side of him, and he wanted to take comfort, to let himself finally break down, but he couldn't.

"I couldn't sing for glee," Blaine said quietly. "But there's a song I want to share with someone. Can I sing it to you guys?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Kurt said. Bas nodded and Blaine stood and faced them.

"I got Finn to watch Lord of the Rings, and he, um, he kind of reminded me of Pippin. He was innocence and joy, with some weird sort of wisdom sometimes, you know?"

Kurt smiled faintly and nodded.

"Well, at one point Pippin asks Gandalf about death, and he tells him that death is just another journey, and describes how this world rolls back and you see through a silver glass to sunrise and green fields, and Pippin is comforted. And of course at the end, the characters sail off into the west which is kind of a metaphor. I want to think of Finn on his journey to green football fields where he's the star quarterback and popular and loved...forever. That's what this song means to me."

 _Lay down, your sweet and weary head._

 _Night is falling, you've come to journeys end._

Blaine sang with his whole heart, as he always did, and Kurt clutched Bas's hand.

 _And all will turn to silver glass_

 _A light on the water_

 _Grey ships pass into the west_

His voice faded, carrying away across the lake, and Kurt stood to hug him.

"Thank you. I picked a song, too, but I couldn't sing it for Mr Schue and everyone either," Kurt confessed. The boys nodded encouragement and he straightened his posture and took a breath.

"This is called 'Goodbye, Brother', by Faktion."

 _To watch your red balloon fly away_

 _It's such a disappointment_

 _Nothing to say, much like today_

 _I'm hurting because of you, I saw you fly away_

 _Nothing I can change today_

 _[Chorus:]_

 _Too bad you couldn't stay, didn't see you on your way_

 _Now there's no taking back_

 _or saying what I meant to say_

 _And now the only question is why,_

 _while the answer is denied_

 _The world looks so much different without your smile_

 _Reality hit me hard today_

 _The past is gone away, hope I'll remember it_

 _And all those times we used to play_

 _Those memories of you and I when we were young_

 _Stir my heart alive and shadow the death that has become_

 _[Repeat Chorus]_

 _I'll preserve your life inside_

 _To mend your absence for the rest of my time_

 _I know you touched so many lives_

 _I finally see you in your true light_

 _I see all the things I failed to see before_

 _And the world looks different now_

Kurt felt his legs wobble as the reality of the loss settled onto him and his guarded emotions burst from the constraints of shock and caretaking. He dropped to his knees without a thought for his designer jeans, and both Blaine and Bas rushed him and held tight while he fell apart completely.

Afterward, he felt hollow. But he returned to his life and his friends in New York, and things slowly started to find a new sort of normal.

 _A/N A short chapter, but I couldn't bear to stay in that grief for longer_.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N I don't know if I will keep up the super quick posting, but I didn't want to leave you on the sad note of chapter 13._

Chapter Fourteen

For Summer

Arriving home for the summer was emotional for Kurt. Seeing Blaine and Bas and celebrating Blaine's acceptance into NYADA was a priority, but first he had to face his father in the public venue of the airport and then the privacy of the long drive to Lima. When he'd been back for the funeral and then the memorial, Burt had been distracted from paying attention to Kurt's weight and they hadn't even touched on the anxiety thing. This was the time there was sure to be a 'very special episode' type talk, addressing everything from his newly diagnosed anxiety disorder to how he was dealing with Finn's death (he wasn't), and Kurt found himself wishing Bas could fight this battle for him just as he had the original revelation. He tried to lift his head and find a brave face.

Shaking with nerves instead of his usual excitement at being reunited with his dad, Kurt approached the baggage claim area. He didn't see Burt anywhere and quickly checked his phone for any missed messages.

He nearly fumbled it when his dad embraced him enthusiastically from his right side, only keeping from dropping the device by clinging to it and clutching it to his chest.

"My boy! You're back! Oh, Kurt, I missed you!" Burt mumbled into his son's collar.

Kurt laughed and wriggled to turn so he could hug his father back. The feel of Burt's flannel-clad shoulder under his cheek and the smell of Burt's aftershave and the lava soap he used to get his hands clean of grease from the shop made emotional memories swirl in Kurt's mind instantly.

"Dad..." Kurt whispered, getting choked up.

Burt drew back and cupped Kurt's cheeks in his calloused palms, searching his eyes.

"I'm really glad you had those boys watching out for you. I've had to take care of Carole, but I'm here for you, too, if you need anything, son."

Kurt's reply was watery. "I know, dad."

Burt looked at him for another long moment. "Alright then. Let's get your luggage and get going home."

The end of the semester and the day of travel had Kurt feeling drowsy as soon as he sat in the passenger seat of his dad's truck. But Burt had some things he wanted to talk about before he let Kurt go to sleep.

"Bud, I think I need to apologize to you," Burt began, then hesitated. "I know that this anxiety thing didn't just come up out of nowhere, and I just... I'm real sorry I never got you help for that before it came to...the, um, the eating thing and..."

Kurt closed his eyes. "Dad, please," he said in a pained whisper. "My character flaws are not your fault."

"Hey! Anxiety disorder isn't a character flaw."

Kurt sighed. Bas had been telling him that for months, too, but it still hadn't sunk in.

"Look, if I had been more educated, I might have seen what you were struggling with. That's my responsibility as your father, okay?" Burt huffed. "Now, since we know what's going on now, what can I do to help?"

"Dad, I... I'm learning what to do when I get really stressed. B-Blaine and Bas are helping. I think having them in New York with me will be helpful. It was a...really rough year apart."

Burt was quiet for a minute. "I know I wasn't the most supportive of this relationship you guys have going, but it took some real guts for Bas to come tell me what's going on with you, and he really impressed me with how he helped out with the funeral and your visit and everything. He really cares a lot about you."

Kurt had to smile at that. "You have no idea how true that is."

"I made him promise to come to Friday dinner."

"Dad! We can't force Bas to-"

"He agreed."

"Dad, he's just... He's more fragile than he seems about some things."

Burt glanced over at him and supressed a smile at the protectiveness he saw.

"Okay."

~~Glee~~

Reuniting at Bas's apartment, Kurt expected things to be much more relaxed, but he underestimated the emotional impact of seeing Sebastian again.

Bas answered the light knock and immediately pulled Kurt into an engulfing embrace.

"Oh god, Blue Eyes, it's so good to have you back here!" Sebastian murmured against his hair. Kurt was so overwhelmed he didn't even complain that his careful styling was being flattened.

They separated slowly and Bas backed away to let Kurt through the doorway, but Kurt clung to his arm so they moved as one into the middle of the room. He couldn't bear to let go of Sebastian now that he'd felt the warm reassurance of his body.

"Blaine said he'll be here in about an hour. He's getting off early but not really quick enough," Bas said, trying to leer and insinuate that they'd all jump straight into bed when Blaine joined them, but Kurt didn't respond to the suggestive remark.

"That's okay. Can we just sit on the couch together for a few?" Kurt asked softly. His knees felt like jelly. Bas was solid and present and smelled amazing.

Bas answered by drawing Kurt over to the sofa and they sat. Kurt kicked his shoes off and curled his feet to the side, leaning in tightly against the other boy.

"You okay, babe?" Bas asked, a little wary of clingy Kurt.

Sniffling, Kurt nodded. Sebastian shifted, even more uncertain with Kurt beginning to cry for some unknown reason. "Umm..."

"I'm just so relieved, my boy. I've been working so hard to keep it together by myself and suddenly I feel like maybe I don't have to do it all alone anymore and it's like I can breathe for the first time in... I don't know how long. I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable..." Kurt started to pull away.

Bas relaxed, and he turned and wrapped his arms around the slim (but no longer frighteningly skinny) boy.

"Hey, no. I'm here. And I am so fucking glad this school year is over. I always looked forward to going away to college, but knowing I get to go with you guys means I won't be so damned alone either," Sebastian admitted in a low voice. Kurt's shoulders shook.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, Bas," Kurt wept. "You've done so much for me, honey." He crawled over onto Bas's lap and buried his face in the taller boy's neck.

"Shh, baby, it's okay. I'm okay. You're just decompressing. Relax, Blue Eyes. Everything's alright," Bas soothed. Kurt was shaking all over and Sebastian was filled with an incredible sense of importance: real importance, not the false, inflated self-importance that his father had had, and all the rich little brats and parents at Dalton had, but a sense that he mattered in the world, just so that he could be support for the amazing Kurt Hummel. He'd never mattered so much to someone. "I got you. We're okay, babe."

Kurt's heaving breaths slowed and he eventually sat back on Bas's knees, wiping his face. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"You've had a hell of a year, too. But that was it. That was the hard part. We're gonna be okay now."

"God, I hope you're right," Kurt said, then kissed Bas lightly.

The kiss slid into inevitability as it lingered and they lost all sense of time and place. Kurt hungrily licked into the taste of Bas's mouth and Bas held Kurt like he never wanted to let him go.

With heavy, emotional kissing came arousal, and they made small sounds as they rocked together. Kurt's fingers twisted in Bas's hair, his mouth demanding every breath and flavor, and Sebastian's hands palmed the elegantly distressed seat of Kurt's jeans, squeezing and releasing the tight muscles beneath. Moving together, Kurt relaxed further into the moment. Getting hard with Blaine and Bas during their visit to New York was one thing, but his ability to respond had been spotty when he was alone. It was wonderful to feel normal again, for the heat to pool in his belly and his muscles to tense as pleasure sparked his body at the feel of Bas pressed against him through their clothes.

Time suspended, until the door opened and Blaine exclaimed in delight at the sight of them. Dropping his backpack, he ran to the sofa to join them, and the other boys parted enough to include him. Blaine scooted in beside them, with Kurt and Bas each extending an arm to embrace him, and Kurt kissed him hard while Bas nuzzled Kurt's neck.

"Oh, sweetie! It's so good to see you," Kurt murmured between kisses. Bas ran his hand up and down Blaine's back and Blaine turned to him for a kiss as well.

"Mmm," Blaine responded, and Kurt giggled. Blaine's stomach growled and broke the mood further.

"I think we need to feed our hardworking singer," Kurt said. Bas whined and bumped his hips up so his erection pressed against Kurt's through their pants, but readily agreed without further complaint.

But both Bas and Kurt balked at going out to eat.

"Bas already wrecked my hair and got me all riled up, so I just want to stay in."

"I'm not doing anything that'll delay us fucking. I got salad shit and stuff for sandwiches so we could stay in," Bas declared.

Blaine tensed up and looked at Kurt in concern. "You're eating more than salad, aren't you? I mean, I know you've gained some weight back, but-"

"Ohmygod, I am not doing this again! I eat healthy, alright? Think of what I ate in high school for pete's sake! I promise there will be protein on my salad, and dressing," Kurt huffed.

Bas cracked up, and they turned on him in annoyance.

"Oh come on! Salad dressing and protein? Tell me that wasn't innuendo and a huge opening for a 'tossing the salad' reference!"

Blaine burst out laughing, but Kurt's tiny frown made Bas realize he didn't get the crude reference. Kissing Kurt's cheek, Sebastian whispered to him. "Salad tossing is slang for rimming, babe."

Kurt blushed and climbed off Bas's lap, rolling his eyes, but Bas could tell he was grateful for the enlightenment.

They ate dinner and talked about how graduation had gone for both Sebastian and Blaine, and how Kurt thought his finals had turned out.

"I just hope you're ready for the most grueling college education I've ever heard of," Kurt told Blaine. "NYADA is no joke. I had to cut back on rehearsals and gigs with the band, and that's even with quitting working at the diner."

"Well I can't wait to meet Elliott and your other band mates," Blaine said, shrugging. "I mean, he's the one who got you sending us all those control texts, right? That's so hot! We owe him. What kind of thank you gift does that warrant? Like, a flogger or something?"

Kurt choked on his salad. "Ohmygod, Blaine! That's not why I told you Elliott suggested that stuff!"

"But he's gonna be able to tell us about clubs and stuff in the city for that, right? I mean, I figured we'd be taking all this to the next level once we're living together."

Kurt's eyes widened and he met Bas's similarly shocked gaze as Blaine kept eating.

"Um, sweetie, I thought that was just to get you through the separation," Kurt said delicately. Blaine looked up at him, puzzled.

"Why? If we like it, we should keep going."

Kurt's heart started to pound and he set his fork down. He'd lost his appetite. He rose and started clearing the table as he took a few deep breaths.

"I guess it wouldn't be that big a deal to look into it. I'm already in the habit of texting you, so I'll keep going with that if you really want me to," Kurt finally said.

"I don't know what I'd do without it, Kurt. I feel so close to you, so cared for whenever I get those texts," Blaine replied immediately. He looked to Bas. "Am I right?"

"Um, I'd rather we just fuck, y'know," Sebastian shrugged.

Kurt rolled his eyes as he washed up at the sink, but he felt slightly relieved that he wasn't the only one with little interest in pursuing BDSM.

As the other boys finished eating, the talk returned to sexual innuendo and they retired to the bedroom soon after.

"Oh god, Kurt, I really want your ass. Is that okay? Are you in the mood? I can eat you first if you want," Blaine moaned a half an hour later as they rolled around the bed, kissing and touching.

"You could lay on top of me so we could rub off on each other while he does it," Bas suggested, and Kurt moaned his acquiescence.

The last of their clothes were removed and Kurt settled on top of Bas, straddling the tall boy's already spread legs which forced his thighs wide open for Blaine, who crawled up into the space and gently ran his thumbs down Kurt's crack, massaging his ass cheeks with strong fingers.

Kurt broke from kissing Bas and groaned. "Ohmygod, boys... Missed you so much..."

Sebastian's large hands slid down and replaced Blaine's on his butt, holding him open for the other boy, who started kissing the delicate skin around his opening, then licking the tightly furled ring. The combination of both boys giving him pleasure made Kurt whimper.

"Yes, sweet boys... Oh god, yes... Blaine, mmm... Oh, Bas, kiss me, please!"

So Sebastian kissed Kurt breathless as Blaine worked him open with his tongue and fingers. By the time Blaine was adding lube one final time, Kurt's face was bright red and he was writhing between them, grinding down against Bas's cock and arching back to Blaine.

"Ready, sweetheart?" Blaine asked lovingly. Kurt cried out his affirmative and Blaine pressed in firmly.

The extra weight of Blaine pushing Kurt harder against Bas made the boy on the bottom gasp and stare at Kurt's ecstatically agonized expression in awe. He was absolutely beautiful.

"Yes, oh, yeah, Blue Eyes... You're so gorgeous, so good. Take it, mm, yeah... Blaine's gonna ride us both till you scream, baby."

"Oh yes, Bas! Keep talking! Get dirty, please..." Blaine begged, gasping.

"Bet your ass is wicked tight on him, babe. Bet you're hot as fuck and he's trying not to come already," Bas whispered.

"Yeah! Yeah! You're right, Bas... He feels so good..."

Kurt whimpered, feeling almost like he wasn't really an active participant but merely a prop for them to use. His stomach twisted and he wasn't sure he liked it.

"Do it, Blaine! Harder!" Kurt ordered, taking back control. Blaine cried out and obeyed. "Don't you come yet, boy. Not till Bas and I both finish, you understand?"

"Yes! Anything you want, Kurt. Whatever you say," Blaine babbled, thrusting hard.

Bas and Kurt both cried out as Blaine's movements shoved them together roughly. Bas shuddered. "Oh fuck... So good, with your big cock against mine. God! You're so hot like this! Oh shit... I'm not gonna last," he panted. Blaine moved with even more enthusiasm.

"Kurt! Please! Tell him he can come! Please! I don't know how long I can keep this up..." Blaine whined. Kurt shuddered and felt himself getting closer as well.

"Mmm... Not yet, Blaine. Hold on, Bas. I'm coming first, and that's your cue," Kurt directed.

Bas laughed breathlessly. "Yes, sir!"

Blaine made a strangled sound. "Please, oh, please... Can I c-call you sir, too?"

Bas rolled his eyes and Kurt gave a low chuckle.

"That's it, boy! Call me sir! Make me come!" Kurt commanded, and Blaine shifted to try to press Kurt's prostate, hammering into him even as he cried out.

"Sir! Oh god, yes, sir! Anything you want! Yeah! Oh!"

"Ah! Oh! Ah!" The change in angle was exactly what Kurt needed, and his climax rushed through him like a tornado. "B-Bl- Ba-YES!" Every muscle in Kurt's body corded under his smooth skin as he spurted, and Bas followed almost instantly, his wordless cry signaling Blaine.

"Sir!" Blaine shouted as he joined them, coming hard with tears on his face.

They collapsed together until Bas complained he couldn't breathe, and then slid sideways and remained twined all together for long minutes as they slowly came down.

A nap, followed by a shower roused them enough to chat some more and make plans for Friday night dinner at Kurt's house with his family the following night.

Blaine and Kurt reluctantly bid Bas goodnight and then kissed each other before they drove home as well.

Bas couldn't stop thinking about Blaine mentioning a flogger and 'taking things to the next level'. He needed to know how Kurt felt.

From Bas: are you seriously going to indulge Blaine in this BDSM thing?

From Kurt: if it's something he needs...

From Bas: who NEEDS a flogger? That's just fucked up shit

From Kurt: what Blaine needs is attention. His parents hardly even acknowledge he exists. He needs to know we see him and that I'll take care of him to know he's loved

From Bas: you'd beat him to let him know you love him? Sounds like something my dad would say

From Kurt: NO! This isn't like the abuse you suffered, honey. I'm hoping that with us all living together he'll get the attention he needs and this kink will just fade away, but I can't judge him for it. He needs acceptance. We all do

From Bas: I don't get it

From Kurt: I know. But you saw how eagerly he called me sir. Right now, can you just follow my lead?

From Bas: I'll do what I can

From Kurt: thank you. Sleep well my dear

From Bas: you too

~~Glee~~

Bas arrived with Blaine for the first Friday night dinner altogether, the triad having arranged it so he wouldn't have to be alone at all on this new experience.

Kurt opened the door and hugged both of them, holding Bas a little longer and squeezing his hand as he stepped back and took in the outfit the tall boy wore.

"You look delectable," Kurt whispered to him as he kissed the boy's cheek and led him further inside.

Blaine patted Bas on the back. The brick red of his button down shirt set his tan skin and green eyes off, and Blaine had suggested he wear his tightest jeans. The combination had Kurt nearly salivating and Bas decided he'd rethink the casual clothes he always wore if his boyfriend would react that way.

"So I know you've talked with my dad and you saw Carole, but let me formally introduce everyone here," Kurt said as they stepped into the living room. "Dad, Carole, this is my boyfriend Sebastian Smythe. We call him Bas. Honey, this is Carole, my stepmom, and you've already met Burt, my dad."

Kurt knew Burt had already explained something to Carole about the polyamorous relationship the boys were in, but it felt wonderful for Kurt to be able to just say it blatantly like that. And when he glanced at Bas, he was sure that feeling was mutual. Kurt hoped that was part of the reason Bas turned on his charm as he shook Carole's hand.

"Enchenté, madam. May I call you Carole?"

"That's fine, Bas. I'm really glad you're finally joining us for dinner."

"May I express my condolences? I was cruel to your son last year. I have no excuses for my behavior but can only beg forgiveness and attempt to demonstrate the change of heart I've had."

Carole's eyes filled, but she raised her chin and nodded once, firmly. "Your actions have shown that you're a different person than you were then. All is forgiven, sweetheart."

Bas smiled and thanked her, then turned and held his hand out to shake with Burt.

"Nah. After all you've done for Kurt, you get a hug, kiddo," Burt said, and put action to word. Bas was stiff in Burt's embrace, but the older man kept it short, reaching next for Blaine and pounding the short boy's back. "Congratulations on getting into NYADA. We know well how hard that is."

"Thank you. Did Kurt tell you that Bas graduated as the valedictorian at Dalton? And he's going to-"

"Maybe Bas would like to tell them himself, sweetie," Kurt interrupted.

Burt and Carole turned expectantly to Bas.

"Um, Columbia. We're all going to be in New York City in the fall."

"Columbia! That's great, Bas! Do you know what you're going to study?" Carole exclaimed. Kurt could tell she was forcing some normalcy and blessed her for Bas's sake even while it made his heart ache.

"Why don't you all sit down and I'll get the hors d'oeuvres?" Kurt suggested, since they were all still standing.

Blaine maneuvered so he and Bas sat together with himself between his boyfriend and Carole. Kurt had asked Blaine to be especially careful with protecting Bas, and he was pretty sure he was doing well at it when Bas smiled tightly at him.

"I intend to apply for a special program they have in Business Management. I've already completed enough credits so that by the end of my first semester, I'll be a sophomore, and able to apply, as long as I get at least a B+ in a couple of prerequisites. Considering I haven't gotten anything less than an A even in the college courses I've taken, I'm confident that I will be accepted into the program in the spring. I'll be able to work with a lot of the Masters level curriculum," Bas informed the adults.

"Well, your ambition is a good match for Blaine and Kurt's, isn't it?" Burt said rhetorically.

"Do you have some idea of what you want to do professionally after college?" Carole asked.

"I expect to find my path through the program. There are a lot of networking opportunities and I plan to thoroughly explore all the possible professions that will be open to me through this degree."

Kurt listened to the formal responses Bas was giving and he worried at how uncomfortable he could tell the boy was. He returned to the living room as quickly as he could with the platter of crudités and jumped into the conversation with the offer that he would be happy to help Sebastian dress for success in the future.

The typical denial that Bas would need such assistance brought the banter back to a comfortable level for them, and the evening went mostly smooth after that.

Playing Monopoly after dinner demonstrated that Bas was headed in the right direction with his schooling as he methodically took over the game and drove each of the others out. Kurt was glad Carole and Burt were such good sports about it, but nearly threw his mortgaged properties at his boyfriend when he himself was beaten. Blaine laughed at both of them, and Burt chastised his son for poor manners. Kurt pouted until Bas finally tipped the balance between himself and Blaine, who held the remaining properties, and Blaine good-naturedly conceded.

"I hope you'll join us for dinner again, Bas," Carole said as the adults bid the boys goodnight.

"Yeah, maybe you can help Kurt learn to give in gracefully," Burt agreed.

Kurt scowled playfully. "Never!"

"Thank you for including me," Bas said quietly as he reached to shake Carole's hand. The small woman pushed his hand aside and hugged him, then passed him to Burt for his goodbye hug as well. They repeated the process with Blaine, who accepted the affection with much less angst.

"You're always welcome here, Sebastian," Burt assured him, and Carole agreed.

"Thanks," Bas muttered, his face reddening. Kurt beamed at his parents and said goodnight as they headed upstairs to give the triad a chance to say a private farewell.

"That went pretty well, I think," Kurt said, looking eagerly at Bas for confirmation. The tall boy shrugged but nodded.

"They're nice."

"They definitely like you," Blaine said. Bas shrugged again. Kurt put one arm around each of them and they all hugged, then he kissed each of them.

"Drive carefully, Blaine," Kurt admonished. Blaine agreed, and he and Bas left.

Kurt waited until after he'd gone through his evening skin care routine before he texted.

From Kurt to Bas: are you really okay? You did very well tonight

From Bas: I still don't really care for parents, but yours are okay

From Kurt: not a ringing endorsement, but I'll take it

From Bas: it's fine. Better than I expected, okay?

From Kurt: I just want you to be comfortable in all the parts of my life

From Bas: I don't know that I'll ever be comfortable with parents, but really, it's okay. Quit worrying

From Kurt: okay. See you tomorrow?

From Bas: yeah. Sleep well

From Kurt: you too

From Kurt to Blaine: goodnight sweetie. Let me know you got home safe

From Blaine: just arrived. Sweet dreams!

~~Glee~~

Kurt found himself immersed in fashion blogs in between working at his dad's shop and spending time with his boyfriends.

"He's just got such amazing taste! The designers he picks are edgy without tipping into horror show. The fabrics! Ohmygod-"

"Blue Eyes, you know I don't care, right?" Bas interrupted, not even looking up from the textbook he was studying.

Kurt huffed. "Yes, believe me, I know you don't really care about fashion. But I do. And... It's actually something I wanted to talk with you about."

Blaine perked up but continued his own perusal of Kurt's back issues of Vogue.

"I'm not going to wear designer t-shirts and shorts when all we're doing is hanging around my apartment in Lima," Bas said playfully. When Kurt didn't respond, he looked up to see Kurt biting his lip and looking honestly pensive.

Blaine eyed them at the sudden silence.

"It's like I've been holding my breath. I didn't know how much I missed sketching and designing until I didn't have time for it at school," Kurt said quietly. "I'm going to take a class on costuming in the fall, and see about working on some of the shows, but...costumes aren't fashion."

"Fashion is important to you, Kurt," Blaine said. "I understand that. But you're at school for performing arts. You are a performer."

Kurt nodded thoughtfully. He didn't entirely disagree, but something felt off about what Blaine said. He found himself looking forward to returning to the cutthroat environment of NYADA less than he expected, and seeing Isabelle and the office more.

"You should be doing what makes you happy, Kurt," Bas protested.

"Yeah. I- Yeah."

The topic bounced around in Kurt's mind off and on for the rest of the summer, but he didn't bring it up again even when he caught Bas watching him with bemused satisfaction as he sketched. They merely exchanged raised eyebrows and returned to their projects. Bas was completing yet another one of his required courses through independent study to pass the time when Blaine and Kurt were busy.

The summer passed amazingly quickly, and it was suddenly time to say goodbye to Lima and return to New York, this time together.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N Thank you all for the reviews!_

Chapter Fifteen

Nothing but the Best

The summer back in Lima had been a quiet one. The pall over everything as Kurt and the family, plus all the friends, got used to life without Finn around had been a weight on everyone's shoulders, making voices come out hushed and even the bright, sunny days seem gray somehow.

It was like being able to take a full breath again when the triad headed to the airport together in the fall.

Moving back to New York with all three of them, Kurt was imminently relieved to have a one bedroom apartment that was closer to school than Bushwick had been. With Bas contributing more than his share of the rent, it was actually a much nicer building than Kurt could have hoped for. But the disproportionate rent created a problem when Blaine told Sam from McKinley that he could crash on their couch while he tried to get work as a model.

"I understand that he's your friend, Blainers, but he's not my friend and I don't play well with others. That should have become obvious to you when I alienated _everyone at Dalton_!"

"Sebastian!" Kurt said, shocked. "There's no need to raise your voice."

"Bas, this is my home, too, and I want my friends to be welcome here," Blaine said.

"Welcome, sure! Hang out sometime, maybe have dinner, but not move in. This place is less than eight hundred square feet and it has to hold Kurt's wardrobe."

"Hey!"

"I don't mind your clothes, Blue Eyes, but they take up a lot of room, okay?"

Kurt had to admit that was true. He shrugged.

"I already told him he could stay," Blaine said, folding his arms stubbornly.

"Bas, Sam is a good guy and he's been a really important friend to Blaine. Let's let him stay for a while and see how it goes, okay?" Kurt intervened. Bas threw his hands up.

"Fine! But he better be alright with hearing all our sex noises because I'm not going celibate just to appease him."

Kurt sputtered, trying not to laugh, but Blaine burst into gales anyway. Even Sebastian finally smiled.

And it wasn't as bad as Bas had feared. He and Sam got along really well and started playing video games together, drawing Blaine in when they could. Kurt just gave a long-suffering sigh and shut himself in the bedroom with his earbuds in.

Another change with living together was Blaine's continued interest in going further with the more adventurous part of their sex life.

From Kurt to Bas: Blaine wants me to tie him up in bed tonight. Sam's staying with Rachel. Do you want to help me tease our helpless boyfriend?

From Bas: I do enjoy teasing

So late that evening, Kurt carefully tied a freshly showered Blaine to the headboard and improvised foot restraints by attaching the silky nylon rope he'd purchased to the legs at the foot of the bed. Blaine was spread like a starfish and Kurt kept asking if he was too uncomfortable, but Blaine's bouncing erection indicated that even if he was uncomfortable, he liked it.

"I think we should blindfold him, too," Bas offered, and Blaine moaned agreement.

"Please Kurt..."

"Hmm. Let me just..." Kurt rumaged and came up with a sequined masquerade mask from his dresser. He carefully pinned a dark pocket square across the inside, blocking the eye holes, and slid the elastic over Blaine's head, kissing him before he stole his sight.

"Oh, Kurt, god, I feel so helpless. Please, keep touching me, please..." Blaine breathed. Kurt rested his hand on Blaine's chest and looked at Bas, who had left the room and returned when Blaine could no longer see. He held a long ostrich feather and wore a mischievous grin.

Kurt nodded to Bas and kissed Blaine passionately. The feather slid up the inside of Blaine's thigh and he cried out into Kurt's mouth. Bas sat on the bed and dragged the feather over Blaine's legs and abdomen, making him writhe while Kurt kissed the bound man on the lips, face, and neck.

Kurt progressed to playing with Blaine's nipples and Bas finally brought the feather up to brush against Blaine's balls.

"Aah! Oh god! Yes! More! I need... Oh! Oh!" Blaine babbled constantly, and Kurt smiled at him and at Sebastian.

Blaine's hips rocked, seeking friction, and Bas looked gleefully diabolical as he started stroking Blaine's cock with the feather.

Kurt stared, eyes wide and eyebrows high, as Blaine bucked into the delicate sensation madly, trying to get enough touch to give him some relief.

"Ohmygod..." Kurt murmured. "Sweetie, you're so beautiful...desperate..."

"Kurt! Kurt, please... Need..."

With a look, Kurt indicated to Bas that the feather had been fun but they needed to move beyond that, and the tall man nodded. With a final sweep down the length of Blaine's cock and balls, he then tossed the feather aside onto the nightstand.

Kurt withdrew from touching Blaine at the same time, watching the bound man process the lack of sensory input. He wriggled and shook, but eventually settled down, gently thrusting into nothing.

Another eloquent look exchanged between Bas and Kurt brought them to simultaneously start kissing Blaine's body at hand and foot.

"Ooohh... Yeah, oh, my boyfriends... Mmm..." Blaine cooed. Kurt licked and nibbled and kissed and sucked from Blaine's hand all along his forearm, across the lines defining his bicep, under his arm, around the line of his pec, up his neck, and finally back to his lips. All the while, Bas did the same, from foot, up calf and thigh, skipping the apex, and down the other side. When Kurt moved to kiss Blaine's mouth, Bas sucked Blaine's big toe into his mouth and plied it with his tongue like he would a cock. Blaine jumped and moaned, and Bas felt accomplished. They hadn't done much foot play, but Bas remembered his only other boyfriend, the beautiful farmer's son in France, who had nearly made him come by sucking on his toes once.

Kurt smiled at Bas and nodded to Blaine's neglected groin. Bas crawled up between Blaine's legs and settled down with his breath warming Blaine's balls with a cocked eyebrow. Kurt winked agreement and took position to blow Blaine.

Sebastian opened wide and took Blaine's entire scrotum in his mouth as Kurt sucked on the head of his dick. Blaine sobbed and gasped. It was only a minute of the attention before Kurt withdrew when he felt the swelling tell that told him Blaine was about to come. He indicated Bas should keep going, and he did, sucking each testes individually, then licking back to his taint, then worrying the skin of his sack between his lips.

Kurt played Blaine like the experienced lover to him that he was, edging him until Blaine begged, and finally swallowing him down until he came with an inhuman wail.

Bas untied Blaine's ankles and Kurt removed the ones from his wrists before gently sliding the mask off. Blaine looked thoroughly debauched, and his gaze was warm and satisfied as they cuddled him.

"What about you guys?" Blaine asked a little sleepily.

Kurt looked at Bas appraisingly. Bas shrugged, which told Kurt he was up for whatever Kurt wanted.

"I do love a magical handjob from our dear Sebastian," Kurt said, smiling coyly. "And I have never gotten to experience what you guys did with that first Skype sex session."

"Oo, Blue Eyes, are you gonna let me hump that gorgeous ass while I jack you off?" Bas asked. Blaine's breath hitched and Kurt giggled.

"I think that sounds perfect."

Blaine moved over to Bas's left and grabbed the lube and helpfully slicked Bas up. Kurt kissed Sebastian for a long, drawn out moment before he turned over and basically laid on top of the long, tight body of the tall man.

Bas held his right hand over to Blaine so he could squeeze some lube into his palm, then, with a wiggle of his hips to seat his cock in the crevice of Kurt's ass cheeks, he gave Kurt a long, slow pull to spread the slick.

Kurt shuddered, and his ass clenched. Bas grinned and gently started rocking up as he set a pace stroking Kurt.

Blaine stared avidly and cupped himself. It was always so hot to watch his private, live porn show with Kurt and Bas fucking and he felt himself starting to harden again.

Listening to the low grunts from Bas and feeling the incredible rippling grip on his cock as well as the hardness sliding beneath him brought Kurt quickly to the brink. But Bas knew Kurt's tells almost as well as Kurt knew Blaine's, and he slowed down, backing off to the slightest brush of fingertips on only the shaft of Kurt's long cock, keeping him going but refusing to let him tip over.

"Ohmygod, Bas, please..."

"Shh. Let me take care of you, baby," Sebastian whispered, and Kurt tried to relax.

Blaine groaned and started sliding over his now full-blown hard on. Kurt rolled his head and met Blaine's gaze with his own dazed look.

"Again, sweetie? That's so hot," Kurt whispered breathily.

"Mm-hmm," Bas agreed. "I love this... Getting off together..." He humped a little faster and started working over Kurt's cock more firmly again.

"Oh god! Bas!" Kurt cried. His eyes closed and he lost himself in the sensations.

"Come on his cock, Blaine. Give it up," Bas growled at Blaine, watching as his hand flew up and down his dick.

"Aaahh!" Blaine responded to the command, moving close, hovering over where Bas stroked Kurt until he spurted and dribbled onto their combined flesh.

"Fuck!" Bas came hard at the sight and feel of Blaine splattering his knuckles and Kurt's shaft. Two more milking strokes and Kurt gave his high, shuddering orgasm sound, jerking and twitching atop Sebastian.

Blaine collapsed back, the image of what they'd just done burned in his mind.

Bas held Kurt through his trembling aftershocks. When Kurt finally came back to full awareness, he groaned.

"Did all three of us just come all over me?"

Bas chuckled. "Oh yeah we did. And it was so fucking hot."

"Ew. I'm a come soaked mess but I don't think I can stand up to get to the shower," Kurt complained.

Blaine giggled. "I'll go get a wash cloth, sweetheart."

Kurt shifted and felt the stickiness under his back between he and Bas and looked down to the mess on his front.

"Get two."

~~Glee~~

Bas slammed the door open, then shut it even harder. Kurt jumped, his throat closing on his gasp of surprise when he looked up and saw the thunderously angry scowl on Sebastian's face.

"Ohmygod, what's wrong?" Kurt asked, jumping to his feet from the sofa where he'd been reading a textbook about the history of costumes for the theater.

Ignoring Kurt, Bas flung his messenger bag across the room and stomped into the bedroom, slamming that door behind him.

Kurt's eyes darted around as thoughts flitted through his mind, and he settled on the most likely cause of Bas's mood. Family. Probably his mother. That was the only thing that triggered him this severely that wasn't related to his insecurities about their relationship.

Taking a steadying breath and lifting his chin, Kurt went to the closed door and knocked softly.

No response.

"Bas, if you don't want me to come in you're going to have to tell me not to," Kurt called.

Silence.

Slowly opening the door, Kurt's eyes scanned the room and found Bas sitting on the floor with his back against the bed, knees drawn up with his face buried between them. He wasn't moving, and Kurt could barely make out that he was even breathing.

Approaching with cautious steps, Kurt sat down on the edge of the bed next to him and set his hand gently on the back of Bas's neck.

"Honey, I'm here for you. You can tell me anything. Or we can just sit here, okay? Whatever you need."

Time crept by, and Kurt started petting the back of Bas's hair and down his neck. A glance at the clock on the nightstand helped Kurt find the patience to wait since he knew Blaine would be at an extra dance practice for another hour and then had mentioned meeting Sam for dinner.

Eventually, Sebastian shifted. His head rose, and then leaned back into Kurt's palm. Keeping his eyes closed, Bas huffed a sigh.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Kurt asked.

Bas sighed again and finally opened his eyes and looked up at Kurt.

"I really want to just cut all ties with my blood relations," Bas said. Kurt kissed his forehead.

"I know. Was it your mom?"

Sebastian nodded. "She's out of in-patient care again and wants me to come visit."

Kurt hesitated. "Um. In-patient for...?" Bas had never been willing to talk about his mother at all except to call her a cold, selfish bitch.

It seemed like the only way Bas could breathe was in deep, pained sighs. He looked away from Kurt.

"I don't want you to think I'm horrible," Bas confessed. Kurt's chest hurt. This boyfriend hardly ever gave in to vulnerability.

"I won't judge you. She's been awful to you, no matter what the reason."

Sebastian's shoulders jumped. Kurt wasn't sure if it was a suppressed sob or just a reaction to thinking something extra painful.

"She's got major depressive disorder. I don't know how many times she's been hospitalized when she gives up and won't leave her bed," Bas finally said. "I'm a horrible person for resenting that she's got a mental illness. I'm sorry." His voice was bitter and hollow.

Kurt kissed the top of his head. "She's your mother and you've needed her and she hasn't been there. You're not a horrible person for resenting that. There's still a little boy in you who she abandoned to an abusive father, and that doesn't go away by itself."

Kurt moved off the bed and sat beside Bas, putting his arm around him.

"What did you tell her?"

"That I'm too busy with school."

"And what did she say?"

"She started crying. I hung up. I couldn't... I can't... She's too much. She's a fucking black hole. If I start trying to be there for her, she sucks the life out of me. That's...that's what ruined my time in France and why I came back to Ohio and Dalton."

"What happened?" Kurt couldn't help his curiosity. Bas had never been this open about his past.

"I was in love. Had a boyfriend, Alex: we weren't exclusive, really, but I never saw anyone else while we were dating. He was older, and he always wanted to spend time together. I did too, of course. But Mom came back from traveling and started one of her spirals... My aunt pressured me to take care of her. I tried. I really... God, you can't imagine the smell when someone stays in bed for months. She wouldn't let me wash the sheets, she wouldn't bathe..." Bas shuddered and Kurt held him tighter. "And she didn't want me to leave her. Ever. I stopped seeing Alex, and eventually stopped going to school... When my grandparents came back from spending time on their boat, they had her admitted. By then, Alex had dumped me, and my family all seemed to blame me for not getting Mom help or making her better or... It just seemed like coming back to be with Dad was what I deserved."

Kurt could easily imagine a frightened young Sebastian reading all the wrong reasons behind reactions people had to the terrible situation. Or maybe he hadn't misread. Maybe they were all awful people. It didn't matter. As Kurt let tears streak his face, he wanted nothing more than to erase all the hurt Bas had ever experienced and replace it with the love he had for the young man.

"You've never deserved to be treated like you have been by your family. I need to figure out how to help you see that," Kurt said quietly. "You deserve love and laughter and light and I hope you'll continue to let Blaine and me show you that."

Bas turned abruptly and wrapped his arms around Kurt, squeezing him painfully tight.

Kurt just stroked his back and kissed his hair and held on.

~~Glee~~

A while later, they moved to the kitchen and Kurt made the pasta primavera he'd planned for dinner.

Bas seemed to have relaxed a little, but a self-consciousness was making Kurt awkward. He wouldn't look at Bas, and he moved his food around on his plate, only nibbling a few vegetables.

"What's going on? Why aren't you eating?" Sebastian asked bluntly.

"It's nothing about what you told me, honey. I don't want to make this about me, but I'm, um, I'm worried."

Bas shifted from looking wary and defensive to concerned. "Worried about what?"

Kurt swallowed hard and tried to keep his voice calm. "If, um, that's your history with your mom and, uh, mental health issues... I just, mm. I don't, uh."

"Spit it out, Blue Eyes. You can ask me anything."

"I don't want to be a burden on you, and I know I am a financial burden already and how can you stand to deal with me when you went through that and ohmygod, Bas, I'm so sorry, this isn't what you signed up for and-"

"Jesus Christ, Kurt, take a fucking breath!" Bas snapped, but his eyes were still soft and kind. Kurt cut off his rambling and stared at him like he held everything that mattered to Kurt. Tears made his eyes swim and Kurt could feel his lip trembling. "Babe, nothing about your anxiety reminds me of her. She is a total victim to her illness and almost seems to revel in the attention it brings her. It's creepy and gross, not anything like your stressing out when you're living three people's worth of life and refusing to give in to it." Bas reached across the table and took Kurt's hand. "You're one of the strongest people I have ever known, my lo-" Bas cleared his throat. "Okay? Don't ever compare yourself to her. My family's a fucking train wreck and I seriously might change all my contact information and ditch them completely. I may even change my name."

Kurt didn't register the self-interruption until he thought back later. "Would you do something for me before you make any permanent decision?"

"Anything."

"Will you find a therapist and talk with them until you're at peace with the decision?"

"Therapy."

"It's helping me. I would never have told you what was bothering me before Dr Martin made me understand how important it is to say the difficult things."

Bas huffed. "Shit." He stared over Kurt's head for a moment. "You know what a shitstorm that will open up."

"I know that you sometimes have to open up and look into the dark or there will never be light there."

Bas was nodding before he realized it. "Yeah, okay."

~~Glee~~

When Blaine arrived home, jovial from his time with Sam, who was now crashing regularly at Rachel's loft after complaining about the 'sausage-fest noises' he had to listen to, and found Bas and Kurt curled up around each other watching tv together. It was almost unheard of for Bas to bother with television while he could be studying and Blaine immediately knew something had to be wrong.

"Hi, guys. Is everything... Um, what's going on? Did something happen?" He asked tentatively.

The other boys looked at each other for a long moment and Blaine felt a pang. It used to be only he and Kurt could have silent conversations with their eyes. He didn't feel jealous, really, just a little wistful that something so special was now shared.

"Bas's mom called. She wanted him to come visit but that's really not a good idea. It upset Bas and so we're just sharing some quiet time waiting for you to get here," Kurt said.

Blaine moved to sit with them and they welcomed him into their cuddle huddle, with Bas surrounded by the other two. Blaine could see how drawn Bas looked and he gave an extra squeeze of a hug.

"I don't understand why visiting your mom would be bad, but I respect your decision," Blaine offered. Bas tensed, but Kurt kissed his forehead and he settled. Blaine thought about it and realized he wished his parents would ever miss him enough to ask him to visit. And he knew how big of a hole Kurt's mother's death had left in his life, so Blaine decided that if Kurt agreed with Bas's decision not to see his mother, then it must be a valid choice.

"Do you want us to make you feel good?" Blaine asked Bas with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Um, no. For once I don't really feel like fucking to take my mind off shit," Bas replied quietly.

"Okay. Just...just tell me if there's anything I can do. A back rub or-"

"Sweetie," Kurt interrupted. "Hush. Watch the show."

Blaine relaxed. He could do that.

~~Glee~~

Trying to find a doctor that Bas felt comfortable with proved to be a major challenge. They were too sympathetic, or too cold. One had an accent Bas didn't like.

"We need to find Robin Williams from Good Will Hunting," Blaine mused.

"Why? That movie sucked," Sebastian sneered. Blaine looked at Kurt and they shared an understanding of why Bas wouldn't have liked the movie, as well as commiserating that he was defensively getting snide.

"Bas, should I ask Dr Martin-"

"I don't need to see a guy who specializes in fucking teenage eating disorders!"

"-if he can recommend someone?" Kurt continued, ignoring Bas's outburst.

"Whatever. I'm done looking."

Bas grabbed his headphones and a textbook and tuned out.

Kurt's therapist did have a suggestion. The man was a 'colleague' Dr Martin had gone to school with. Kurt suspected he was a former lover, possibly from a polyamorous relationship, but Kurt didn't care. He just wanted someone to get through to Sebastian.

Dr Jackson asked to have both Blaine and Kurt accompany Bas to his first session, and maybe to some future ones.

"Relationships like yours can sometimes become so entangling that it's easier for a partner to share some of the troubles the client is having, sparing him from expressing details that he confessed previously in an emotionally intimate setting," he told them as they settled in.

"Bas, do you want me to tell him what I know about your past?" Kurt asked, holding Bas's hand.

"Sure," Sebastian huffed. "Whatever."

The lack of enthusiasm from his client didn't seem to faze the therapist.

Kurt told Bas's story to the best of his knowledge succinctly, and the doctor then asked questions to delve deeper into details. Soon Bas started correcting and adding to Kurt's answers.

It was an excellent start for Sebastian, but listening started Blaine thinking about his own history and state of mind, and noticing the perfection of Bas's and Kurt's understanding and support of one another. And how on the fringe of it he felt.

The triad hugged and kissed on the street outside the psychologist's building, then went their separate ways for the day.

Bas tried to let all the emotional crap fade into the background and he focused on his class and the interview he had with a high powered stock broker afterward.

Kurt poured his feelings into the performance he had that day, and felt lighter afterward than he'd felt for quite some time.

Blaine was lost in his mind. He barely made it through his dance class, so distracted that he was called out twice by the instructor. He just couldn't shake the feeling that he was like a satellite orbiting a twin star.


	16. Chapter 16

Doesn't Even Matter

Kurt got band rehearsals going again, and was pleased that Elliott had some possible venues for them to play. They were expanding beyond Madonna songs, and were constantly looking for different music they might use.

The rehearsal space for Pamela Lansbury was double booked one evening, so Kurt invited everyone to the apartment to work on their newest song. Bas was studying at school that evening, and Kurt thought Blaine had plans with Sam.

Mercedes's arrival in New York occupied Sam, however, when the pair saw each other after their separation and immediately felt the old spark reignite.

So the band was going through an accoustic, muted version of I Believe in a Thing Called Love to avoid being too loud for the neighbors when Blaine came home.

They finished the song and Kurt introduced everyone. Blaine stared at Elliott, obviously fascinated, and shyly invited the glam rocker to stay for a few minutes after the rehearsal broke up.

Kurt kept an eye on the interaction but didn't interfere, curious how it would go.

"I wanted to thank you...so much, for suggesting to Kurt that he start, uh," Blaine began, blushing.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of in needing to let go a little, Blaine," Elliott told him, smiling with understanding.

Blaine shifted, feeling strangely torn as his body started to grow aroused at the attractive man's approving attention.

"It's really made such a difference in my life. I wanted to get you some kind of thank you gift, but we haven't um, gone anywhere that... Is there a shop, or... I don't know if Kurt asked you about clubs, or..."

"Hey. Relax, Blaine. I'm not super into the lifestyle or anything. Yes, I can tell Kurt some places to take you if he thinks you should go, but you have to remember that it's something for both of you. All of you since you're a triad. Kurt has to think of what's best for everyone, right?" Elliott said gently.

Kurt heard and closed his eyes, feeling intense relief along with some trepidation.

"Oh, um, of course. I just... I really like it," Blaine finished lamely.

"I get it. Maybe a big group of us can go sometime, okay?" Elliott asked. "I'll talk to Kurt."

Blaine agreed, and Elliott left. Kurt could see a restlessness in Blaine he'd never witnessed before. He bit his lip and looked at the time. He had a while before Bas would be home and he wanted to talk with Blaine alone. Steeling himself, Kurt went to Blaine and wrapped his arms around him, outside Blaine's biceps so he slightly restrained him.

"Baby, I want to talk about this stuff," Kurt said. Blaine nodded eagerly.

Having talked a little with Elliott and more with Dani, who also enjoyed dabbling in power exchange, Kurt had some clue what Blaine might ask for, and he understood how Blaine probably wanted him to behave.

"Would you like to, um, kneel?" Kurt asked. Blaine's face lit up with excitement.

"Yes, please."

Kurt made him use a pillow and took another steadying breath. "I don't know how much of this I'm going to feel okay doing, sweetie. And I know Bas isn't really into it, either. But I know how much you love it, so I'm willing to try."

Blaine looked up at Kurt worshipfully, and Kurt stroked his face, aching with love for him.

"What do you need, sweetheart?"

"Will you spank me?" Blaine asked, looking up at Kurt through his dark eyelashes. Kurt swallowed.

"Do you really want that?"

"Oh yeah," Blaine breathed, and Kurt could see the instant arousal in his eyes. Biting back a sigh, Kurt nodded once.

"We can try. Not right now. Maybe next time we're all together..."

"Yes, thank you, I'll wait, I just... Thank you for being willing to try," Blaine said, and dropped his cheek to Kurt's knee. Kurt petted across his hair and left his hand cupping Blaine's neck.

A few minutes after, they got up and went about their evening.

Kurt tried to put it out of his mind, but Blaine could think of little else.

~~Glee~~

It was only two days later when the opportunity arose. They had been studying on the couch when small touches and flirting escalated into a full-on, groping makeout session.

"Bed. I'm done studying," Kurt said. Blaine popped up and headed for the bedroom immediately, but Bas took a moment to shove his work back into his laptop bag before he followed. "So responsible," Kurt teased as he followed, hands on Bas's hips.

"You know how I hate mornings. Rather have it all ready at night so I don't have to wake up until I'm halfway to school," Bas said, shrugging. Kurt chuckled and started stripping him down as soon as they were in the door. Blaine was already naked on the bed.

Tumbling together, Kurt kissed both of them and then encouraged them to kiss each other.

"What do you want, my boys? Who wants what tonight?" Kurt murmured.

"I want Blaine's mouth," Bas gasped, and Blaine moaned agreement.

"Can we spit roast you, baby? You suck his cock and I'll stuff you full? Would you like that?" Kurt whispered into Blaine's ear.

"Yes...yes! Please, oh..." Blaine groaned in response.

"Then get to it, sweetie. Give Bas your best blowjob and maybe I'll let you come when I take your ass," Kurt said. Edging Blaine was one of the few dominant acts he was completely comfortable with.

Blaine obeyed, working Bas into a mess of pleasure with his mouth and tongue, giving Bas what he knew the boy liked best.

Blaine knelt with his ass high in the air as he bent over and sucked Bas's cock. Sebastian was in the throes of ecstasy, eyes closed, head rolling on his shoulders, struggling not to thrust and gag Blaine. Kurt took a deep breath. It was as good of a time as any. He patted Blaine's ass.

"You want it, sweetie?"

Blaine moaned like he was dying and arched his back. Kurt took it as a yes and held his breath as he brought his hand down hard. Blaine and Bas both jumped at the loud slap, and Bas's eyes flew open. Kurt quickly spanked Blaine's other cheek, his eyes wide at how red the hand prints stood out on the perfect roundness and how sharp and distinct the sound was.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Bas croaked. Kurt looked up at him and nearly fell off the bed. The look on Sebastian's face was utter horror, and he was pushing Blaine away and practically climbing the headboard, cringing.

"Bas?" Blaine said, looking confused.

"Oh shit," Kurt choked. "Shit shit _shit_." How had he not considered Bas's reaction? He was the worst boyfriend ever, he thought as he quickly crawled toward Bas, who recoiled and actually moved off the bed and across the room to get away from him. Kurt bit his lip, tears of sympathy welling quickly in his eyes. "Bas, ohmygod, I'm so sorry. Blaine asked me to try spanking him, but I am a horrible person for not taking your past into account. Please, honey..."

Bas scooped clothing up from where they'd left it and moved out the bedroom door. Kurt followed, but when he tried reaching out to the tall boy, Bas flinched violently.

"Get away from me!" Sebastian snapped, his eyes wide. He scrambled into his clothes and snatched up his shoes and school bag.

"Please, Bas, calm down and talk to me!"

"Where are you going?" Blaine asked from behind Kurt, stress thinning his voice. Kurt immediately turned to him and wrapped an arm around him comfortingly.

Bas didn't answer as he fled out the door and into the night.

"Please, no, Bas!" Kurt cried, then stood with his hand over his mouth. He whirled, moving away from Blaine, but stopped abruptly when something caught his eye.

Kurt stared, frozen, at Bas's cell phone still plugged into the charger on the counter. How would he find Bas without his phone?

Though Blaine tried, Kurt was inconsolable and refused to go to bed, waiting up all night on the couch for Bas to come home. Blaine succumbed to sleep beside him, and Kurt took comfort in knowing that at least Blaine was safe.

In the morning, Kurt skipped his classes to search for Sebastian, but ordered Blaine to go to school when he offered to help. He went all over the city to coffee shops and favorite places, but he finally found Sebastian late in the afternoon in a back corner of the library on his campus, and Kurt almost wept with relief when he spotted him.

"Hi," Kurt said quietly. Bas looked up and his face flushed red. "Please don't run away."

There was a moment when Bas started to lean back casually and a sneer twitched his upper lip; the ghost of his old defensive persona. But it fell away and his shoulders slumped and he shook his head.

"I won't."

Kurt sat down and pulled his chair close. "I'm so sorry. I-"

Bas waved it away. "I know you are. I freaked out... Flashback, maybe. And then I felt like I didn't matter at all, and it... I needed to work through it. Went to Dr J."

"And?" Kurt asked breathlessly. He felt like he was hanging by a fingertip, about to fall into an unknown and dark abyss.

"And my fucked up past doesn't need to mess up my future. I'm not gonna let it. I was planning on coming home tonight."

There was a whoosh that passed through Kurt's body at the words. He honestly felt like he might faint.

"Ohmygod, Sebastian, I'm so glad. I don't want to lose you, honey."

They stood and hugged. Bas spoke into Kurt's collar.

"I'll stick around as long as you want me, Blue Eyes."

~~Glee~~

Blaine cried a little in relief when he got Kurt's text telling him he had found Bas and they would be home for dinner. He went out and bought flowers and ordered Bas's favorite takeout: Indian food from a little place he'd discovered a month before.

Debating lighting candles, Blaine decided that would be sending mixed signals about his hopes for the evening and instead turned on a couple of table lamps instead of the bright overhead light. It was more intimate but not as overtly romantic.

When Kurt and Bas arrived, holding hands and looking exhausted, Blaine hesitated rather than throwing himself at them. Kurt took pity, though, and gestured him forward. They hugged, and Blaine apologized profusely.

"It's okay. Look, Blaine, I know you really like the kinky shit but I just can't-" Bas said in response.

"No, I know. I get it and I'm so sorry I didn't think about your reaction. I just... I need to give up that control, and I want to explore the edges of that and... But I totally get that we need to do something that works for all of us. We're a triad, like Elliott said."

Kurt raised an eyebrow appraisingly. He hadn't expected Blaine to be so willing to accommodate Bas's difficulties. Maybe the texts would be enough. That thought made Kurt relax as well.

The evening was pleasant and Blaine offered to clean up so Kurt and Bas could go to bed early since neither had slept at all the night before.

Kurt snuggled close to Bas and they quickly fell asleep.

~~Glee~~

Blaine resourcefully researched and came to Kurt with a list of non-impact pain play options, and Kurt grew pale.

"You want me to put your balls in that contraption and let it squeeze them until you beg?" Kurt asked carefully, looking at the web site Blaine had brought up.

"If you don't like that one, there's these ball stretchers," Blaine offered, clicking over to another link. "And there's silicone cock sleeves with little spikes-"

"Blaine! I...I can't. I'm sorry. That's... I know you want to try it, but... Ohmygod, baby, I can't torture you. I just... No. I'm sorry," Kurt gasped, his eyes filling with tears.

"It's not torture, sweetie! I'm asking you to do it. I _want_ you to."

But Kurt retreated to the bedroom, unwilling to even discuss it further.

When the three of them had sex next, Kurt could tell Blaine wasn't satisfied with just being edged, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything other than that.

Bas saw the tension between his boyfriends and had enough understanding of what was happening to make a suggestion.

"I think Blaine's being too pouty to be allowed to come, Blue Eyes," Sebastian said.

"I've edged him five times! If he doesn't come now, he's going to have a wicked case of blue balls," Kurt protested, confused. Bas rolled his eyes and stared at Kurt pointedly.

Blaine moaned.

Kurt's eyebrows rose and he mouthed to Bas, " _Seriously_?", to which Bas nodded firmly. Kurt turned back to Blaine and stroked his purpling erection a few more times. Blaine jerked his hips, huffing impatiently.

Kurt tutted. "He does seem too demanding," he said, shaking his head dramatically.

"We've both come, now, so maybe it's time to just go to sleep," Bas suggested.

Blaine's mouth popped open and his head lifted. "Kurt? You-"

Kurt let go of Blaine's cock and nodded. He affected a yawn. "Yeah, I'm tired." He met Blaine's astonished look. "Maybe you'll earn an orgasm tomorrow." He shook his finger at Blaine. "No beating off by yourself tonight," he admonished.

"But-"

"You heard him," Bas reinforced. He got up and went for a washcloth to wipe Kurt's hands free of the lube he'd been using on Blaine.

Kurt turned out the light with a quick kiss goodnight to each of them and fell asleep surprisingly easily with Blaine laying tense as a board next to him.

After consulting Bas and Elliott, and reading up a bit on it, Kurt determined that three days without coming was enough for their first foray into denial.

Having begged and complained about how much he ached and how he couldn't sleep, Kurt smirked and replied that he knew that Blaine had wanted some discomfort and so he was only giving Blaine what he'd asked for. That had only made Blaine ache more, reveling in the way his balls hugged tight against his body.

Blaine screamed when he finally came, and Bas and Kurt had giggled together about the reaction. Blaine hadn't cared, shuddering through intense aftershocks of clenching pleasure.

"Sweetheart, I'm glad it was good, because that's it until next weekend," Kurt said in mock sympathy. Blaine groaned as his spent cock gave another small spurt at the offhand comment.

So for a while it became normal for either Bas or Kurt or both to use Blaine's body to get off, but not allow Blaine release. It bothered Kurt to know that Blaine was in pain from the constant denial, but when he asked if they needed to give him a break, Blaine vehemently indicated that he'd happily help Bas and Kurt get off every night and wait until Kurt decided he'd earned the right himself.

Eventually Blaine's body decided it had had enough, and one night, he had a wet dream.

Kurt didn't know what to do other than giggle like a twelve year old as they changed the sheets the next morning, which confused and frustrated Blaine, making him sulky.

Talking to Elliott about it clarified Blaine's perspective.

"Why would he expect me to punish him for something he couldn't help?" Kurt asked when Elliott had explained that Blaine had anticipated consequences for his wet dream.

"It's about boundaries and obedience. You need to punish him."

Kurt shook his head. "I can't-"

"I have a thought on that," Elliott offered before Kurt could finish.

"Okay...?"

"Forced orgasm."

"How is an orgasm punishment for having an orgasm?" Kurt asked, bewildered.

"Oh, honey! I had a Dom for a while who was into forced orgasms as punishment. Have you ever had to come three times in a row without a break? It sucks."

"I thought you were a..."

"I'm a switch, actually. I can have fun either way, or vanilla," Elliott said, shrugging.

Kurt frowned. "I'll think about it."

He decided to involve Bas.

From Kurt to Bas: Elliott suggested we punish B with forced orgasms. I don't know. What do you think?

From Bas: sounds fun

From Kurt: I guess it's really unpleasant to go 3 times without a break?

From Bas: massive oversensitivity

From Kurt: think B will agree?

From Bas: duh

From Kurt: I'll tell him. Anticipating should get him even more

From Bas: you do like telling us what to do

From Kurt: but not hurting you

From Bas: I know. Text him. He'll love it

From Kurt: but it's punishment

From Bas: it's still a game, though. Just tell him

Kurt steeled himself.

From Kurt to Blaine: since you disobeyed and came last night, tonight you will come as many times as I desire, without a break, and until I'm satisfied you've learned your lesson

From Blaine: yes Sir!

Kurt tried not to worry about what would happen that evening as he got through his day.

~~Glee~~

Bas was completely on board with acting as a prop for Blaine's punishment. He honestly found pushy Kurt extremely sexy, even if he didn't have the need to be dominated. So he smirked as he stood naked off one side of the bed where Blaine lay nude and nervous.

Kurt paced at the foot of the bed, and Bas could tell he was working himself up for this. His shoulders became perfectly level and his chin rose as he stopped, legs slightly spread, and stared at Blaine.

"Why are you being punished?" Kurt asked.

"I came without permission," Blaine answered immediately, sounding contrite.

"So your punishment is to come as many times as I want you to. Do you accept that?"

"Yes, sir," Blaine's voice was breathless and his cock jumped. Bas almost laughed.

Kurt turned to Sebastian as if he'd heard. He imperiously raised one eyebrow until Bas dropped his smirk and his eyes.

"Blow him," Kurt ordered.

Bas climbed onto the bed between Blaine's eagerly spread legs and spent a moment licking him root to tip before he opened up and started bobbing. Blaine was so turned on it was only about a minute before he was gasping his tell. Just when Bas felt him start to swell in his mouth, he heard Kurt.

"Come, Blaine. Come now!"

Blaine cried out and Bas swallowed his load. Brilliant. Kurt knew Blaine's tells as well as Bas did, and he had just given Blaine the illusion of coming on command.

"Now lay against the headboard, Bas," Kurt ordered. "Blaine, face me and sit on his cock. He's going to give you a handjob while fucking your ass."

Bas paused to glance at Kurt, surprised by his use of the word fuck, but he quickly complied with the instruction, slicking himself and holding the base while Blaine lowered himself onto Bas. Blaine's perfect, round ass looked amazing parted over his thighs, and Bas regretted that the boy would be laying back against him. He'd much rather watch himself as Blaine worked up and down on him.

"Ride him while he jerks you off," Kurt snapped. Bas looked at him and saw Kurt knew exactly what he'd been thinking. Bas flashed a grin and Kurt nodded.

Giving a handjob to someone who wasn't all that big to begin with, and who'd gone soft was a new experience for Sebastian. He used his slick hand and rolled his grip. It only took two times for Blaine to lengthen, and the moan he gave made Bas realize that he'd gotten enough of a break that it wasn't even uncomfortable for him.

Blaine bounced on Bas's cock, and Bas enjoyed the view as he disappeared between those lush cheeks. The cock in his hand was soon hard and he was jerking him toward another orgasm even before his own really started building.

"That's it. Ride Bas's cock. You're almost there again, aren't you, baby? So gorgeous," Kurt crooned. The approval set Blaine off and he pulsed, shuddering. "Take over from Bas so he can fuck you good while you stroke off."

Not having gotten a rest in between, Blaine whimpered as he took himself in hand.

"Take your pleasure, Bas. Don't worry about Blaine, he'll take care of himself, won't you?" Kurt said. He stared hard at Blaine, who shivered in reaction.

"Uh-huh," Blaine whined. He'd do anything for his Dom.

Bas took ahold of Blaine's hips and started humping into him, enjoying the view, his heat and even the little gasps Blaine made. It wasn't long before he gripped Blaine hard and shoved in, grinding out his climax and then falling back against the pillows.

"Get off of him, Blaine. We don't want Bas suffering oversensitivity just because you are," Kurt said. Blaine obeyed. "Lay down, baby, and get yourself off as quick as you can."

Bas scooted over and rolled onto his side to watch Blaine. He was biting his lip and sweating so much his gel was giving way to the curl and he had a little superman swoop on his forehead.

It took a while, but the boy finally gasped and curled up, a few drops oozing from his cock. Collapsing back, Blaine stopped stroking.

Kurt tutted again and moved onto the bed with a washcloth. He perfunctorily wiped the come and lube from Blaine's shrinking dick, and then tossed the cloth aside. Then he lowered himself and took the flaccid cock between his lips.

"Ahh!" Blaine cried. His whole body flinched and Bas winced in sympathy as he watched the reddened skin disappear into Kurt's mouth. Early on at Dalton, Bas had gotten caught by the lacrosse coach in the locker room getting a blowjob from a freshman. He'd been made to run laps commando in loose nylon basketball shorts until everything was chafed and raw. That was how the skin of Blaine's dick looked.

Minutes ticked by, with Blaine eventually moaning nonstop with tears streaking back into his temples. But Bas noticed how Kurt's hips were churning, his heavy cock dancing. This was obviously turning him on.

"Can I suck you off?" Bas whispered to Kurt, who nodded and groaned, an echoing sound erupting from Blaine.

Wiggling until his head fit under Kurt's chest, Bas ended up acting more like a cock warmer, unable to move anything but his tongue.

It was enough. Especially when Blaine started keening. Kurt's hips jerked, and Bas opened wide to let him fuck his mouth.

The sobbing scream from Blaine was followed quickly by Kurt spurting into Sebastian's throat, and then Kurt dropped to the far side of Blaine and they all lay breathing hard, Blaine hiccuping as he cried.

Both Kurt and Bas moved to snuggle Blaine, and as the boy caught his breath, he murmured, "Thank you... Thank you..." over and over again.

Bas got the bottle of water Kurt had set on the nightstand, and he tilted it to Blaine's lips while Kurt held his head up. Blaine drank, and Bas cleaned everything else up while Kurt got the bedding pulled back and tucked up around them. Bas turned out the light and slid between the sheets, kissing Blaine's cheek. The boy was already starting to snuffle toward sleep.

But Blaine's weeping had been more than Kurt could take. It didn't matter that he'd been grateful or that he'd let Kurt know it was exactly what he'd needed: Kurt wanted to vomit. He waited until Blaine was asleep then went into the bathroom to cry. Bas followed.

Kurt was sitting on the closed toilet lid and sobbing into a towel. Bas knelt beside him and wrapped him up in his arms.

"It's okay. He's fine, Blue Eyes. He loved every moment," Bas whispered reassuringly.

"No. I can't do that again, not ever. That was awful, Bas!" Kurt said, his stress making his quiet voice high and thready.

"Kurt. Settle down, babe. It wasn't that bad. Why are you freaking out?"

"I-I... Ohmygod, Bas...didn't you see how raw he looked? He's going to be sore for _days_!"

Bas's eyes narrowed. "You liked it."

"What?! No! I-"

"You liked it and now you're freaking out."

Kurt turned his face back into the towel and sobbed loudly. Bas caressed his back and waited for the storm to pass.

"What k-kind of monster enjoys that, Sebastian? Someone like your father! I can't be... Please, I-"

"You are nothing like my dad, Kurt. I swear. Nothing."

But although the reassurance calmed Kurt enough to go back to bed and try to sleep, he still felt dirty and wrong.

And neither Kurt nor Bas had any idea that Blaine had heard the whole exchange. It fueled Blaine's doubts and made him wonder if he'd ever feel like he fit in the relationship again.

 _A/N So I'm nearly done with this fic. I'll be posting several times a week. 20 chapters with a short epilogue. I hope you're still enjoying it._


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Light in the Distance

Blaine's classes the following day started later than either of his boyfriends', so he slept in, murmuring a drowsy goodbye when Kurt and then Bas kissed him before they left.

When he finally got up, Blaine could feel the rawness of the skin of his dick and it made him smile as he thought about his punishment. But the enjoyment faded when he recalled Kurt's freakout afterward. Looking around the kitchen, Blaine wondered if Kurt had eaten breakfast. Kurt's lunch bag was still in its place in the cabinet, so he hadn't taken food with him for later. Blaine sighed. He'd learned not to ask Kurt about eating; it only upset him worse. For some reason, the way Blaine expressed his concern always garnered a negative reaction while Bas's callous, offhand remarks about the same things earned Kurt's giggles and got him on a healthier course.

Blaine wasn't jealous. He was grateful that Kurt had Bas to see to needs he himself couldn't meet, but it created a dissonance like an out of tune instrument in how Blaine felt about their dynamic. Added to the reluctance and even revulsion Kurt approached Blaine's kinks with, their interactions were beginning to sound like a toddler smashing piano keys.

Blaine sank into a chair by the dining table and dropped his head to his hands.

He knew what Kurt needed.

He knew what he needed.

And it wasn't each other.

How had it come to this?

~~Glee~~

From Kurt to Blaine: not that you'll want to today, but I want it clear: you are not to come without permission

Blaine read the text as he was eating breakfast, and the warmth of being loved and cared for rose in him as it always did when Kurt gave him orders. He sighed. He needed to learn to live without that.

From Blaine: thank you sweetie, but I've been thinking and maybe we should cool it on the power exchange for a while

From Kurt: you don't want your clothing orders for the day?

From Blaine: nah. I'm okay. C U tonight. Love you!

From Kurt: I'm sorry if last night went too far

Blaine shook his head. The scene the night before had been perfect. Until Kurt freaked out.

From Blaine: all is well my love

From Kurt: class is starting- love you!

It felt odd choosing his own clothes to wear for the day; strangely adrift, but Blaine picked out one of Kurt's favorite shirt and tie combinations, and that made him feel a little more secure.

No orders came via texts through the day, and Blaine fought down the sadness and the helplessness he felt. He had to be strong enough by himself. Relying on Kurt was too much for his Dom- no, his boyfriend. He was just his boyfriend.

That night Blaine hurried home and made dinner for all of them, and insisted on cleaning up afterward as well. Doing something for the other two quieted Blaine's longing a little, and he spent the next two days doing everything around the apartment that he could. Kurt and Bas both thanked him, but Blaine craved approval that he didn't receive.

Every day without texts or praise wound Blaine tighter, and he started doing the opposite, goading Kurt, trying to get him to snap and punish him. It was unhealthy. Blaine knew that, but he couldn't stop.

When Blaine's coffee sloshed onto the counter and he deliberately didn't wipe it up, he never anticipated it would be the final straw.

Kurt's cuff dragged into the small puddle and he broke down completely.

"Ohmygod, I don't have another shirt to go with this jacket and Anna Wintour is going to be at the meeting this morning! I-I can't... Oh, no. No-no-no..." Kurt burst into tears and stood by the counter, rocking and holding the damp sleeve, lost in his panicking misery.

Blaine stood stock still in the living room, horrified at what he'd done.

Bas heard Kurt from the bathroom and hurried out clad in only a towel, shaving gel on half his face.

"Kurt! Quit wailing. You're the master at stain removal. It's coffee. What do you do for coffee stains?" Bas said loudly. Kurt hiccuped and looked at him for a moment. Blaine could see Kurt drawing strength from the exchange, and Kurt finally snapped and went to work dealing with the problem.

Bas and Kurt left without a word to Blaine, and he was actually glad of it. He was a mess of discordant emotions and he needed to talk to someone on the outside of the situation: someone who knew him, and knew Kurt as well.

Making plans to see Sam and Mercedes later that day, Blaine decided that talking with his friends before he made a decision about the problems he they were having would be just what he needed. He had an idea about what the best option would be for all of them, but he didn't think he could trust his own judgment. The idea was exhilarating but terrifying just the same.

~~Glee~~

It wasn't as if Bas and Kurt didn't notice what was going on with Blaine. They saw him cleaning the apartment and making the meals. They talked about it and agreed Blaine was figuring out how to cope with his submissive feelings in a positive way, and since he seemed content, they agreed not to do anything but keep an eye on him, expressing their gratitude but not going overboard with drawing attention to it.

When Blaine started acting out, Kurt and Bas again discussed it, both more concerned with the petulance with which Blaine seemed to behave.

"With a child it's best to ignore bad behavior rather than give it attention, right? That's how my dad was, anyway. Should we do the same here?" Kurt said.

"I would have had a belt taken to me if I'd pulled the shit he's pulling. I say we go your way," Bas said. He didn't mention that he figured Blaine might actually prefer the belt, because he knew that wasn't something Kurt would ever find appealing. Bas wouldn't either.

So they ignored it until the day of the coffee incident.

Bas calmed Kurt down enough to leave for work, then accompanied him out since he was headed to the library.

But Bas couldn't stop thinking about it, and wondering if Blaine had sabotaged Kurt deliberately. He returned to the apartment early, having been unable to study, intent on confronting Blaine.

Blaine had already left.

~~Glee~~

Blaine was nervous about including Mercedes in his conversation about the troubles, his experiences with religious people making him wary of her condemnation, but it worked out fine. He decided he thought he could like Christians if they were all as loving and non-judgmental as she was.

"So if you're not getting what you need, and Kurt isn't getting what he needs... Is Sebastian happy, either?" She summarized and asked.

"I don't know. When Kurt's happy, Bas's happy. When Kurt's not happy, Bas seems to be able to handle that and get Kurt turned around..." Blaine said. "When I try to help Kurt, they both get kinda frustrated with me." Blaine hung his head, ashamed to admit how bad the relationship had gotten, from that first text from Rachel about Kurt's eating problem, to all the ways Blaine had tried and failed to help with it and recognizing again that it was him who apparently no longer fit into their life.

"This is it, isn't it?" Blaine wondered aloud. "I need to leave them and hope they can continue to make it work; to make each other happy," Blaine said softly. It was completely clear to him, crystallizing and clicking into place: Kurt and Bas. Bas and Kurt, period.

Sam moved to hug him, and Blaine was shocked to find he didn't feel like crying. What he actually felt was closer to relief.

He'd been holding on to try to force the situation into being what he needed; what they _all_ needed, but it had become obvious to him that his presence was the biggest problem. If Blaine left, Bas and Kurt fit together like a lock and key.

And then _Blaine_ would have a chance to find his own matched partner. It felt like a bubble expanded inside his chest at the possibility that there was someone out there who would be as right for him as Bas was for Kurt. Somehow, it didn't even hurt to think of letting go of Kurt because he knew Kurt would have Bas.

"If you need a place to live, Blaine, we have a spare bedroom," Mercedes offered. Blaine's eyes finally started to tear at the offer.

"Thank you. I'll pay rent, I promise," he said.

"Man, that'll be awesome! Having my best friend and my girlfriend around? That is just great!" Sam enthused. Blaine and Mercedes shared a fond look and a laugh at his antics.

~~Glee~~

The idea was simple, but the execution was harder than Blaine expected. He decided that it would be best to just tell Kurt and then talk or text with Bas sometime afterward. This was going to be difficult for Kurt, and Bas might be angry with Blaine for it, but both Blaine and Bas had solely focused on Kurt rather than each other for so long that only telling Kurt in person seemed right.

Setting up a time to meet Kurt at the apartment with enough time to talk with him before Bas came home was the easier part. Looking into Kurt's concerned eyes and telling him what Blaine had decided was almost impossible.

"Kurt, I love you. Nothing will ever change that. But it's become very clear to me that we're not giving each other what we need. You and Bas are just _right_ ," Blaine said slowly.

"We're all in this relationship together. The three of us."

Blaine shook his head. "I just...I'm kind of feeling...superfluous. You and Bas... You understand each other. You meet on the same level. I-"

"But...I love you, Blaine! Ohmygod, you can't really be talking about leaving! I-I won't allow it. You want me to be your Dom, well, that's what I'm saying. You stay with us. You stay with me," Kurt demanded, but his voice broke on 'me' and he started to cry.

"Oh god, Kurt, please don't cry. Please. I love you, too. I love you so much. I just... I love you too much to stay when you'll be happier with just you and Bas."

"But I won't be! I'll miss you! You're my first love, Blaine. I can't imagine being without you."

"He's...he's better for you than I am, Kurt. He actually helps you when you're stressing and you stop eating. I've never been able to handle that."

 _"I am more than my anxiety disorder_! You and I, we look at each other and we just know exactly what the other is thinking or feeling. I don't always have that with Bas, only you!"

"I've seen you do that with him, sweetie. And we'll always have that. We're best friends! But the life you and Bas could have... I can see it, and it's so beautiful, so strong and good... Look, I want you to try it. Be with him. Just you two. Go on dates; have sex. Try it. Please, Kurt. For me?"

"I'd do anything for you, Blaine, but how can I do this when it'll lead to you leaving me? How can you ask my to do that? It's like asking me to cut off a limb, or carve half my heart out."

"Now you're just being melodramatic, Kurt. You're going to do this because I know you better than you know yourself. And sweetheart, you're not going to lose me. We are best friends. We'll always be best friends. Whether we sleep together or not."

"But Blaine-"

The door rattled open and Blaine knew his time was up.

"No. No buts. I'm moving in with Mercedes and Sam. Text me later to say goodnight, okay?"

Blaine slipped out behind Bas's back, with the tall man distracted by Kurt's cry of dismay and loud weeping.

Bas found Kurt on the bed, sobs wracking his body and wrecking his voice. Bas immediately curled around him to comfort him, and Kurt latched on and cried and cried.

"Blue Eyes, what the fuck is going on?" Bas asked as soon as Kurt's crying lessened.

"Blaine left. He-he thinks we- you and me, he thinks... He thinks we're the best couple and he should step aside..."

Bas went still. He loved Kurt more than he had ever imagined he could love anyone. Their threesome with Blaine was safe and comfortable and he enjoyed it, but the feelings he had for Kurt were different from what he felt for Blaine. The possibility of having Kurt all to himself was staggering. It felt dangerous even to let himself consider it. He found a black hole of _want_ opening in his chest at the possibility, and he started to shake because if he hoped and then didn't actually get to keep Kurt, he'd be sucked in and never recover.

Something burst inside him that had been held in check for the last two years since this strange relationship had started: he wanted a monogamous relationship with Kurt. No, it was more than that. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Kurt. He hoped. Yearned, actually.

"Bas?"

"Um."

"Bas?"

"Kurt?"

"What...what are you thinking?"

"That I'll do anything you want me to."

"Hold me."

"You don't even have to ask for that."

Kurt fell into an exhausted sleep, and Bas lay in wonder considering the possibility before them.

Back in high school, fresh from his return from Provence, Bas had wanted Blaine. He'd seen Kurt as an obstacle to overcome in getting into Blaine's pants. The challenge that Kurt had become was by turns annoying and thrilling, but it wasn't until the Dave Karofsky suicide attempt that he'd started to take any part of his life seriously. Dropping his pursuit of Blaine and focusing more on school and his plans for the future, the car accident and his father's death had brought the boys back into his life.

The sex with them was amazing. Blaine was as hot as he'd dreamed, and Bas couldn't get enough of the boy. But Kurt had been the sweetest surprise. His force of personality, his take-charge attitude, and his 'no bullshit' rules had swept Sebastian off his feet. He'd fallen in love with Kurt before they'd even had sex. He adored Blaine, but it wasn't anything like what he felt for Kurt.

After these months of finally living together, Bas understood that Blaine would probably always know Kurt better than he did. He'd known him longer. But Bas's instincts regarding Kurt were unerring. He might not understand why Kurt behaved in self-destructive ways, but he could get him to stop. Left with Blaine alone, Kurt got worse. That had to mean something, didn't it? If Blaine really knew Kurt so well and he thought Bas was better for him, shouldn't they trust that?

Bas finally fell asleep after hours of thinking, and dreaming, and hoping.

The next few days they ignored the Blaine-shaped hole in their life together. Bas caught Kurt dropping into melancholy and teased and cajoled him into a better mood. But the weekend approached, and Bas decided he needed to be proactive.

"Blue Eyes, are you gonna let me take you out Saturday night or what?" Bas asked casually over dinner. His heart seemed to be attempting to make an escape attempt, but he kept his expression neutral.

Kurt blinked. The days since Blaine had left were blurred. "I don't think I feel like going out."

"Gonna let me make it a romantic evening in, then?" Bas's voice wobbled a little on the last word, and he cleared his throat.

Kurt started to shake. Romance. Without Blaine. It was a terrifying thought. He set his fork down, appetite vanishing like a mirage.

"Do I have to triple dog dare you?" Bas asked. The concept was so ridiculous that Kurt laughed. Bas smiled crookedly. He was desperate not to push Kurt away.

"Are you having a stroke? Who do you think you're talking to?"

Bas's voice dropped. "My boyfriend. My lover." It picked up volume. "The man I want to woo Friday night."

Kurt gasped. His face flushed and he stared at Bas.

"Ohmygod, you think he's _right_. You think we could do this!"

Sebastian shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. He had to cover his real intentions. Kurt sounded totally incredulous and Bas thought he might pass out. "Maybe I'm just horny and I know you well enough to do whatever it takes to get you to have sex with me."

Kurt looked shaken, uncertain exactly where Bas was coming from. "And you think romance and wooing is the best way to get what you want?"

"The easiest, anyway. I know you get hot watching me work out, but I'm not in the mood to lift or run on the treadmill."

Kurt had to chuckle at that, shaking his head and trying not to visualize Bas running in his customary tank top and shorts, his muscles playing beneath his skin, his lean legs pistoning... How long had it been since he'd had sex, Kurt wondered, or even masturbated?

"Might do better if you go for a little run, my boy," Kurt said, fluttering his eyelashes in overblown flirtation. He picked up his fork and took another bite.

"Kurt, I'll do whatever you want," Bas said, getting serious. Kurt's gaze sharpened, and Bas watched as he swallowed and raised an eyebrow in question. His gut told him Kurt wasn't ready for a declaration. He just wasn't sure how long he could hold back the words, the promises, and the desperate feelings. "I'm _that_ horny."

Kurt shook his head again and stabbed another bite of food. "So I guess you have a workout scheduled for Saturday night, then."

Bullet dodged, the inference of sex afterward made Bas decide he was happy to add an extra run into his week.

~~Glee~~

It felt ridiculous to call Blaine for help, but Kurt clung to Blaine's assurances that they would always be best friends and did it anyway.

"He wants me. He thinks you're right," Kurt said softly as soon as the niceties were out of the way.

"Sweetheart... We _are_ right. I promise. Give Bas all the love in that beautiful heart of yours and you'll see."

"But... I feel like I'm being torn in two! I love you, Blaine!"

"Can you please admit that the reason you feel torn is that you love him, too?"

"Of course I love him!"

Blaine was quiet for too long after that.

"Wh-what's wrong with that?" Kurt demanded.

"Nothing," Blaine replied. His voice was tender and warm. "It's just the first time I've heard you admit it."

"I've told you guys I love you over the phone before!"

"Kurt... I don't think Bas ever understood that you meant both of us. You need to tell him."

"How could he not know? We've been together for so long..."

"You know he's always been insecure about you and me. It's time you make it crystal clear for him."

"But I need you..."

"Kurt, sweetie, I've thought about this so much, for _weeks_. You fell in love with me as the confident lead soloist. I know you know that's not all I am anymore, and you still love me, but… There's still this expectation. I helped you in high school. I encouraged you- literally, I gave you courage. I... _engendered_ it in you. But I didn't have it for myself. I try to take care of you, but the way I do it isn't what you need. You need an equal who will stand up to you, and I've discovered that I need someone to take over, to take care of me. I will always love you, Kurt, but we're not the perfect match we thought we were. Please, you have to see that!"

Kurt sighed. "I don't know. I just... I'm not sure I'm ready to be with just Bas."

"Don't say it to him that way, but explain it to him. Tell him you're scared. Be honest."

"Blaine... I miss you."

"We-we'll spend more time together as friends after you get settled with Bas. It wouldn't be good for us to see each other now."

"I don't want to lose you, Blaine," Kurt moaned. "I need you in my life."

"I'll still be a part of your life. I'm not making you say goodbye, babe. Not ever."

Kurt's huff at the reference was watery, but it was a good sound, and Blaine was relieved.

"And Kurt?"

"Yeah?"

"Please, please tell Bas you love him."

"I... I will."

~~Glee~~

Watching Bas run did elicit the response they'd both intended. Kurt untied his tie and sat down on the sofa facing the treadmill, his breath coming faster as his eyes tracked the muscles of Sebastian's legs. Unlacing his tall boots, Kurt bit his lip with arousal.

Bas was aware of Kurt's eyes on him, and he smiled at the sensation of being watched lasciviously. He completed the shortest workout the treadmill had a program for, then snagged the towel off the hand rail and wiped his face as he turned toward the living room.

Kurt had opened his belt and the top button of his pants to ease the constriction. He saw Bas's gaze linger on the bulge at his crotch and felt his face heat. Standing, Kurt stepped delicately forward, swaying seductively. The hunger in Sebastian's expression intensified, and Kurt stopped only a breath away from him. He could smell the sweat, the sharp tang of exertion, and it made him shake with need.

Bas tilted his head and leaned in for a kiss, but Kurt seemed to jolt out of the sexy headspace and his blue eyes grew wide with what looked like panic. Putting his hands on Kurt's shoulders, Bas tried to calm his raging desire.

"What is it? What's going on with you?"

"I don't...we've never, um, all the way, j-just us," Kurt mumbled.

Bas pulled him close and kissed him. He made it light and sensual, and Kurt relaxed minutely.

"You know I don't go all gooey lightly, but Kurt... Would you top me? I want to feel you in me and on me and... I want it slow and gentle..."

Bas dropped his eyes.

"You want me to make love to you."

Bas swallowed and felt himself tremble as he nodded.

"Oh, Sebastian..." Kurt's voice was so tender that Bas peeked at him through his eyelashes.

"Is that a yes?"

"Of course it is, my... Bas."

"You can still call me your boy, if you want. I know we're, I mean, I figured you and I wouldn't really be doing the power exchange stuff, but... I always liked you calling me yours," Bas said, his face going from pink to red as he spoke.

"That possessiveness was always the part you liked."

"I like belonging to you." Sebastian nodded. "Kurt, I know you love Blaine. I know you'll always love him and I know how hard this has been for you. But... If he doesn't come back, or, well, even if he does, um, I want you to know that..." He swallowed hard, and Kurt saw the tears in his eyes. "I love you. I really only want you, for... For forever. If I need to share you, I will, but I'm yours. I-"

Kurt kissed him, cutting off the awkward declaration. He knew he loved Bas, but his heart still hurt so much at Blaine's departure that he wasn't ready to commit and give up all hope for the future he'd always foreseen with Blaine. But he did love the sweet boy in his arms, and he selfishly adored the fact that he was all Sebastian wanted.

"I love you, my Sebastian. Let me show you how much."

Bas's knees almost gave as Kurt intensified the kiss, and with a whimper, he pulled the slim body closer, wrapping Kurt up and getting as close as he could.

"I love you... Ohmygod, wanted to tell you for so long but I was so scared. Kurt, I love you. Oh, my Blue Eyes," Bas spoke into Kurt's skin on his cheek, his lips, his throat.

The flood of emotion he felt made Kurt dizzy. Sebastian, the intelligent, gorgeous, witty man, who was always so guarded, loved him. Not just loved him, but wanted him so much that he'd shared him for all this time. And Kurt felt so safe in that love and in Bas's arms. All the struggles he faced seemed so much more surmountable with Bas beside him, encouraging and cajoling.

And good god could he kiss.

The awkward concern about being together without Blaine melted away and Kurt relaxed into the embrace, one hand wandering down to palm Bas's ass, and the other tangling in his silky hair.

Bas felt a change in Kurt when he surrendered, and gathered him even closer. But their clothes kept him from the intimate contact he craved, and with a pained gasp, he broke away and drew Kurt with him to the bedroom and started undressing him.

Kurt's flawless skin under his fingers and lips was intoxicating. Bas reverently stroked arms and hands and chest and legs, then dropped to his knees to worship the amazing erection, pink and beautiful.

"Ohmygod, Bas! Yes! Oh my love..." Kurt whimpered and his knees weakened, wobbling at the wet heat surrounding the head of his cock, the deft tongue flickering, the gorgeous green eyes looking up at him.

Bas felt him shift unsteadily, and rose up, sliding an arm behind Kurt's knees and bracing his torso, scooping him off his feet just long enough to pivot and settle him on the bed.

Kurt choked, feeling delicate and cherished by the gentle strength Bas demonstrated with the action. He'd never enjoyed being manhandled or carried like a bride, always resenting the emasculating connotation, but this was completely different. The motion felt like it flowed from Bas's love for him. He rolled them over as soon as Bas lay down, and began stripping the long, lean body, returning the favor of kissing all the skin he revealed, moaning at the saltiness of his lover's sweat.

When he finally pulled Bas's shorts and underwear off, Kurt fell on his cock wantonly, licking and sucking while his hands gripped Bas's hipbones.

Kurt's desperate sounds and the incredible feeling of his mouth all over Bas's cock made Bas cry out wordlessly, his whole body shaking hard. Sebastian felt helpless in the pleasure Kurt inflicted on him and he could barely believe the sounds rebounding off the walls were coming from himself.

Kurt continued until the saltiness of Bas's sweaty skin gave way to the tang of precome and then he moved lower, carefully drawing his balls into his mouth, then working the soft skin below them, and further down.

Bas drew his legs up and out, needing to give Kurt access to every part of himself. Kurt's tongue worked at his ass and Bas wailed, lost in the hot tension that gathered from the ministrations.

Kurt reveled in the full sensory experience. Bas made noises Kurt had never heard him make, and the taste and feel, the sight and smell were pure sex, and because it was Sebastian, pure love.

He reached for the lube.

The familiarity of Kurt pushing into him was ecstatic, but it was the total focus on _him_ that made Sebastian want to cry. He turned his head, ashamed, trying to get himself under control, trying to dry the traitorous tears on the pillow, but he couldn't suppress the sob that escaped.

Kurt dropped down so they were chest to chest, and he slid his hands up, gathering Bas close and nuzzling his neck. Tears filled his eyes in sympathy, and his breath shuddered.

"Just you, Bas. Just me and you. I love you, my beautiful boy. I love you so much."

Sebastian turned his head and looked down at Kurt. "Blue Eyes..."

"Right here, love. I'm yours, Bas. Yours."

"Ohmygod, Kurt," Bas moaned, arching, squeezing Kurt inside him. Kurt rose on his hands, crying out and thrusting involuntarily. Sebastian barked a laugh and deliberately squeezed again, making Kurt growl.

Kurt rolled his hips over and over, watching enraptured as Bas fell completely apart, his face pinched in ecstasy and Kurt's name on his lips, matching the repetitive rocking.

Heart full to bursting, Kurt let himself go as well, losing all sense of time and place as he allowed Bas to engulf him in the powerful love and desperate loyalty he displayed time and again, always doing everything he could to make life better for Kurt. No one had ever made Kurt feel as wanted and protected as he did with Sebastian.

Dropping down so they were chest to chest again, Bas's legs spread wide, Kurt let his body jerk and hump without conscious thought as he mouthed at Sebastian's jaw and neck.

"God, Sebastian, I love you. I love you my perfect, sweet love... Bas... oh god, you're everything... My love, oh, my love..." Kurt murmured.

It was everything Bas had ever dreamed it would be. Hearing Kurt finally say all the things he'd ever wanted to hear while filling him, sliding together so they were one being, Bas found all the heaven he would ever need.

Kurt cried out, moving faster as the experience grew too encompassing, too much to process in one evening.

"Bas! Yes! Ohmygod, you're perfect! I'm gonna come, love. Come with me, Bas, please, oh... Oh god! Bas! Bas!"

There was nothing to hold back from giving Kurt everything. Bas felt the pressure of Kurt's body inside and out, moving in a quick, frantic press, and he felt complete harmony with him, wrapped close, pulled tight, as near as two people could ever be. When he came he shouted Kurt's name, and holding Kurt and being held afterward was the most contentment and peace he'd ever experienced. He was happy, with no worries or concerns. The moment was the epitome of perfection.

Until Kurt started crying.

The familiarity of making love to Bas was comforting, and the ecstatic reaction Bas had to it made Kurt feel like a sex god, but finishing, coming in wrenching waves, nearly screaming Bas's name, was overwhelming.

It had felt perfect. Utterly ideal. Everything he'd ever dreamed sex could be as an expression of love. Better than any other time he'd been intimate.

And it hadn't been with Blaine, the man he thought was his soulmate, his endgame.

That knowledge that they, Kurt and Sebastian, could have love and sex and intimacy without Blaine, and that it could feel complete and glorious, was a devastating blow. Emotionally overwhelmed, Kurt burst into tears, incoherently trying to express what he was feeling to Bas and only succeeding in repeating Blaine's name over and over.

Bas held Kurt. He didn't say anything, because, really, what was there to say? The most ideal experience of Bas's life was something distressing for the man he loved.

So Bas breathed in the smell of Kurt's hair, of the unique scent of his skin and their sweat and the home they'd made, wondering if somewhere there was a clock ticking down the moments he got to keep it all, and that when the clock stopped, he'd lose everything.

He considered leaving after Kurt fell asleep. He could pack and go and call Blaine and tell him the truth that he'd seen the night of Blaine's punishment: that Kurt had enjoyed it. Without Bas, Blaine and Kurt could navigate a relationship that included the aspects he himself couldn't tolerate. It was even possible that the control part of the D/s dynamic would be good for Kurt: a way to cope with his anxiety that they hadn't been able to try because of Sebastian's limitations.

But Kurt snuggled closer, and helplessness washed through Bas. He couldn't do it. He couldn't leave Kurt if there was any possible way that he'd be allowed to stay a part of Kurt's life. It was pathetic, but his relationship with Kurt was all he had. It was more than he'd ever dreamed of, so he hadn't even tried to make any friends outside of it. He didn't know how, and he hadn't expected to need to.

He didn't want to.

So he shamefully admitted that he wasn't going to do the honorable thing and step back. He was going to cling for as long as he could.

 _A/N I'd really like to know if ya'll are ready to string me up for this chapter or if you liked it..._


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Dreams Last So Long

Kurt woke Sunday morning to gritty, puffy eyes and unease. Bas kissed his forehead and offered to make breakfast while Kurt showered as they climbed out of bed. Kurt grimaced at the mess they'd failed to clean up the night before and agreed.

Under the warm spray, Kurt tried to calm his whirling mind. He loved Bas. He loved Blaine. He'd had the most idyllic night ever without one of them. What did it mean? Should he do as Blaine wanted and cut ties for a while? Did the previous night mean that he really was meant to be with Bas? What about all his plans and thoughts about the far future of his life, plans that had included Blaine since the very first day they'd met? Was he supposed to give up his dreams of curly haired kids with honey eyes who would never be shamed into pasting their hair down? What was he supposed to do? Finding neither answers nor peace in the normally comforting fall of water, he finished rinsing off and got out.

In the mirror, Kurt did his best to minimize the awful way his eyes looked, and moisturized his chest and stomach where Bas's come had dried out his skin.

Bas. What was he supposed to say to Bas?

Kurt had to spend several minutes going through his relaxation breathing before he could leave the bathroom. When he did, he found himself tentatively peeking around the doorway and watching Bas as he plated eggs and toast before walking quietly to the table and sitting down. Bas looked up when he heard the chair and gave a tight smile before setting the food down and going back for their coffees.

They ate, neither cognizant of the fact that Kurt didn't hesitate to clean his plate and finish his coffee. When he rose to clear the dishes and Bas appeared ready to protest, he shook his head.

"You cooked," Kurt explained, and cleaned up the kitchen.

Bas was at a loss. He watched Kurt, waiting, but Kurt just went about his normal Sunday morning routine.

Together they changed the sheets and Kurt did the laundry while Bas cleaned the bathroom. They both dusted and straightened up. Few words were exchanged.

After lunch, another quiet affair, Kurt gathered his things to go meet the band for rehearsal. Bas helped him with his overcoat and handed him his umbrella since it was sprinkling and the forecast called for even more rain later in the day.

They hesitated at the door. Bas's heart was in his throat as he waited to see if Kurt would kiss him goodbye.

After a long moment, he did; a light peck on the lips.

"See you later," Kurt whispered.

"I love you," Bas blurted. He had no idea how many times he'd get the chance to say it, so he went for it. Kurt's eyes widened.

"I love you, too, Sebastian," Kurt replied, and then he left.

Bas spent the afternoon lost in his studies, focusing on his work exclusively so he wouldn't have to wonder what was going on with Kurt.

At rehearsal, Dani proposed they try a song they hadn't done before and turned on the karaoke track of Bring Me to Life, singing harmony to Kurt's melody and encouraging Elliott to do the background rap vocals. The song ended and Dani squealed.

"Holy shit that was beautiful!"

Kurt stared at her.

"She's right; that sounded awesome," Elliott agreed. He frowned at Kurt's lack of reaction. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing. I'm fine," Kurt said offhandedly. "Dani, some of the really high stuff in that is a stretch. We should work that out, trade off."

"Okay," she said, and said she'd pull the sheet music so they could do more with that the following week.

They ran through a few more songs, then worked on breaking down another new one. The time went by quickly, and soon Dani's alarm went off and she had to leave for work.

"Skype rehearsal on Wednesday, D, then meet _early_ for the show on Thursday at Callbacks!" Elliott called after her. She must have acknowledged him, because he came back into the practice room and gave Kurt an eye roll. "You are _so_ not okay," he said to Kurt.

"I'm _fine_ ," Kurt insisted. He grabbed his water bottle and shoved it in his satchel, then reached for his rain gear.

"Okay. But if one of your boys shows up at my place-"

"Ohmygod, Blaine didn't tell you, did he? Elliott, please tell me you're not going to be his new Dom. I could not handle that! It's been less than a week!" Kurt stared at Elliott in horror.

"N-no..." Elliott drew out. "But you are definitely not fine. Come on, let me buy you coffee."

Elliott nodded to the student with a cello case waiting for the practice room as he pulled Kurt out. They made their way to the little coffee cart in the lobby instead of going out into the rain. When they'd found a secluded spot and set their drinks down, Kurt overflowed.

"Blaine left us. He wants me and Bas to be a couple. I think he really wants...maybe needs...to pursue the D/s stuff, and Bas has a history of abuse so it's not okay and-"

"Are you safe with him?" Elliott interrupted.

"What? Who?"

"If Bas has a history of violence-"

"Elliott! Not as an abuser, as an abused child!"

Elliott nodded understanding. "Got it. So, Blaine's kinky and you guys are vanilla."

Kurt stopped, feeling judged. "There's nothing wrong with us for not wanting to beat each other!"

Elliott shook his head. "Kurt, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with any of it. Relax, man. I'm just saying that you want different things. And if Blaine _really_ wants it, then yeah, that could be a deal breaker. But, are you happy with just Bas?"

Kurt dropped his head. "I love him. I love them both. I've never been with anyone but Blaine, or with Blaine..."

Elliott tilted his head and took a sip of coffee. "How many people stay with their first love their whole life, do you think?"

Kurt looked away. "I don't care about the odds. Blaine and I were supposed to be it."

"So why did you ever bring Bas into it?"

Kurt sighed. "At first it was compassion. Then sex. But he's an amazing person and I love him, so much. And now..."

"If you can't have Blaine, is it fair to have Bas feel like he's a consolation prize?"

Tears filled Kurt's eyes. Elliott didn't pull punches. Kurt knew that was exactly how Bas would feel, and that he was so isolated from the rest of the world that he'd never walk away on his own. But Kurt didn't _want_ him to walk away. He loved Bas. It just hurt so badly to have Blaine reject him, and that didn't even begin to touch on how the previous night had made him feel... Kurt's mind shied from that.

"No. If...if I stay with Sebastian, it needs to be clear to him that I'm choosing it."

"But is that what you want to choose?" Elliott asked, ever the devil's advocate.

Kurt had no answer, or at least no answer he was ready to face.

~~Glee~~

Blaine was finding his way. It was actually easier to go without the Dom orders now that he was single. Everything felt lighter, brighter, and full of possibilities.

He tried not to feel guilty after Kurt's phone call, and hoped for Kurt and Bas's sakes that they were working it out. They were both so deserving of the deep and passionate love he knew they were capable of.

Hanging out with Sam, and Mercedes when she was available, was great. Blaine had missed his best friend since he'd come to New York. They played video games and Blaine introduced Sam to Star Wars fanfiction.

But he missed seeing Kurt.

"Why don't you call him?" Sam asked on Saturday afternoon when he caught Blaine looking at the framed photo he still kept on his nightstand. It had been a fixture there for two years, and Blaine hadn't thought twice about it when he'd unpacked it and placed it in the same spot.

"No. we all need some time apart before we can be just friends."

"If you're just friends, dude, why do you have that picture there?"

Blaine nodded, not answering. He replaced the photograph, but recognized that he was going to have to put it away eventually.

~~Glee~~

Kurt and Bas went out for dinner, but it was just as quiet and awkward in the restaurant as it had been at home. Kurt made sure he held Bas's hand when they left, which garnered him a warily pleased look, and they both had relaxed marginally by the time they'd spent their evening studying and were getting ready for bed.

The tension was back the moment they slid between the sheets and turned out the light.

"I'm sorry if I was out of line yesterday," Bas said softly. They were laying completely separated on the big bed.

Kurt tried to think what Bas meant. "Nothing you did or said was out of line," he finally replied.

"Can...can I kiss you goodnight?" Bas asked after a pregnant pause. Kurt rolled toward him at the tremulous note in Bas's voice.

"Ohmygod, Bas, of course!" Kurt said, meeting him in the middle of the bed and wrapping his arms around him. Bas was shaking and Kurt was flooded with guilt. "Oh, my boy, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be distant today. I love you, Bas. This is just... It's hard, trying to figure out what to do and how to feel."

Bas was tense in his arms, but turned so their lips met. Kurt's body reacted to the simple kiss with a tingle down his spine and heat in his groin. But the fresh memory of his distress the night before overpowered his arousal, and he kept a chaste distance in the hip area.

"I love you, Kurt," Bas murmured. "Sleep well."

When Bas retreated, Kurt kept a hand between them, wanting to keep touching but trying to respect Bas's wishes.

It was a difficult night.

~~Glee~~

Waking up and looking toward Kurt, Bas had to smile at the arm flung out into the middle of the bed. But doubt crept in, asking him if Kurt was reaching for Blaine, and the smile vanished. He climbed out of bed carefully so he wouldn't wake Kurt and see disappointment in his eyes when the realization hit.

Already feeling the antsy restlessness he'd had since Kurt's breakdown, Bas wanted to go for a punishing run on the treadmill, but he didn't want Kurt to think he was pressuring him for sex or trying to duplicate the seduction that seemed to have led to the awkward distance between them.

Instead, Sebastian gathered an extra set of clothes and put on his sweats, grabbing an apple and leaving a brief note for Kurt: _Have a good day. I love you._ Then he left so he could use the gym at school before his classes.

Running with his earbuds blaring his music streaming service, Bas couldn't believe the number of morose lovesongs he was getting. He hit skip over and over, and finally turned it off with a snarl. Fucking Matchbox Twenty! If You're Gone? You Won't Be Mine? Even his favorite boy band 'NSync with Bye, Bye, Bye!

Damnit! He wasn't some kind of emo sap! Why was he just rolling over with this? Waiting for Kurt to leave him for Blaine was not Sebastian Smythe! He needed to fight for what he wanted, show Kurt that he was the one who was best for him.

Because it was true.

He'd been so stunned by the chance to be with Kurt alone that he'd lost sight of the fact that Blaine was _right_. He was good for Kurt.

Now he just had to convince Kurt of that.

~~Glee~~

Classes were tougher than normal with how distracted Kurt was. He was certain he failed a pop quiz, and he'd flubbed the words to a song he'd known since he was a child. Between classes, he found himself watching everywhere for a glimpse of Blaine as he moved around the campus, dreading and yearning by turns to see the boy. Was he okay? Did he regret his decision?

Did Kurt? Really? He needed to face the fact that he and Bas were doing pretty well together so far. They always had, from their first day spent in Cincinnati, to Bas's visits the previous school year and the time spent alone together over the summer while Blaine was at Six Flags.

Since Bas had dropped his defensive cruelty, he'd become a wonderful, caring, attentive boyfriend. When they had difficulties, it was over things that came up from his seriously fucked up childhood, not typical teenaged drama. And not over kinky sex stuff that made Kurt uncomfortable.

Oh _god_. What if Blaine and Bas were right?

Arriving at the office, Kurt drew knowing looks as he approached Isabelle's office, and his boss looked smug when he moved to the desk he shared with the interns. He was a paid part time assistant, but the position didn't warrant its own workspace.

The surface of the desk couldn't be seen past the five dozen sterling roses. Kurt's eyes widened and he approached them slowly. The center arrangement had a card and he carefully plucked it. The overwhelming, heady scent of the powerfully aromatic flowers surrounded him like an embrace and he opened the card.

 _I love you._

 _I'm going to show you just how much._

 _Bas_

Kurt sank into his chair and stared at the huge, expensive gesture. Leave it to Bas to go overboard.

"Did one of your boys majorly screw up or is it an anniversary I'm not aware of?" Isabelle asked. Kurt spun the chair and looked guiltily at her.

"Um, neither? And... There's sort of only one now."

Isabelle's eyes lit and she gestured him into her office, closing the door behind him, obviously eager for gossip.

"Sort of? How does that work?"

"Blaine, um, he left."

Her eyes popped. "Oh, sweetie! Are you okay?"

Kurt sighed and sat down. "I...I don't really know."

"So, the other boy, um..."

"Sebastian."

"Is he still around? Oh! Is he the grand gesture?" She motioned to the flowers.

Kurt nodded. He felt more lost than ever.

"If he's trying to woo you, does that expression mean you don't really want him to?"

Kurt shook his head. "No. I love him. It's just hard... It's difficult to let go of what I thought the future would look like."

Isabelle nodded. "Well, if Sebastian is determined to win your affections, you might leave certain web sites open on your laptop with wish lists available. You might as well get what you actually want from it. I do it all the time." She winked and Kurt suppressed a sigh. He didn't want Bas to think he could buy Kurt's love. But there was that jacket from Yohji Yamamoto that he'd been saving for... The Japanese designers were sending Kurt's tastes in a whole new direction.

He smiled at Isabelle. "Thanks for the suggestion. Maybe in the future if he needs to apologize for something."

~~Glee~~

Bas cut the last class of his day to get home and set up for Kurt's arrival. After preparing the bedroom, he showered thoroughly, changed into a button down green shirt and skinny jeans, ordered from Kurt's favorite Thai place, lit candles at the table, and had low, jazzy music playing so that when Kurt opened the door he knew that the roses at work had been the first volley in a romantic onslaught.

Kurt froze with the door open, and Bas came to him immediately, murmuring a greeting in French, sliding his satchel off his shoulder, and drawing him forward so Bas could close the door. Bas then kissed Kurt on both cheeks, and asked how his day had been, still speaking French.

"Bas..."

Sebastian arched an eyebrow and Kurt's lips compressed. But his dimples gave him away: he was suppressing a smile, not a frown. Bas gave a saucy wink and kissed him on the lips briefly.

"If your French isn't up to it, we can speak English," Bas taunted. Kurt's eyes narrowed at the challenge and he replied in French.

" _My afternoon was quite fragrant, as I am sure you know. Sebastian, you don't-_ "

Bas put a finger to his lips. " _Give me this evening, my love. Let me demonstrate how your love has changed me. Let me romance you, tonight."_

Kurt's eyes closed briefly and he sighed.

But he nodded, and Bas grinned.

They spoke in French all through dinner, with Bas subtly and gently correcting Kurt's formal, school learned language until he began to catch the rhythm of colloquial speech. By the time they had the eaten dessert, Kurt sounded much more like Bas had heard the fluent foreigners like himself from around the world in Paris than like an eighty year old of formal bearing.

And Kurt seemed to be eating it up: the romance, the challenge of the language, the flirtation. Bas felt confident when he cleared the table and brought Kurt to sit on the couch. He switched from his seduction playlist to the karaoke backup for the song he'd chosen to serenade Kurt with.

Kurt giggled when Bas went to one knee before him and started to sing.

 _There you stand, opened heart, opened doors_

 _Full of life with a world that's wanting more_

 _But I can see when the lights start to fade_

 _The day is done and your smile has gone away_

 _Let me raise you up_

 _Let me be your love_

 _May I hold you as you fall to sleep_

 _When the world is closing in_

 _And you can't breathe_

 _May I love you, may I be your shield_

 _When no one can be found_

 _May I lay you down_

 _All I want is to keep you safe from the cold_

 _To give you all that your heart needs the most_

 _Let me raise you up_

 _Let me be your love_

 _May I hold you as you fall to sleep_

 _When the world is closing in_

 _And you can't breathe_

 _May I love you, may I be your shield_

 _When no one can be found_

 _May I lay you down_

 _All that's maybe is all worth trading_

 _Just to have one moment with you_

 _So I will let go with all that I know_

 _Knowing that you're here with me_

 _For your love is changing me_

 _May I hold you as you fall to sleep_

 _When the world is closing in_

 _And you can't breathe_

 _May I love you, may I be your shield_

 _When no one can be found_

 _May I lay you down_

Kurt predictably had tears in his eyes when Bas finished. But Bas could see the moment that he remembered that Blaine wasn't part of the beautiful life the song promised and the tears turned sorrowful.

"Bas, I can't promise you I'll ever be ready for that," Kurt began, speaking English again.

"Everything that he could be for you, Blue Eyes, I can be. If this is too private for a serenade, let's go down to Time's Square and I'll sing to you in the middle of the crowds until I'm hoarse. Let's get on a plane and I'll propose to you at the top other he Eiffel Tower! I'll-"

"Stop!" Kurt cried. He dropped to his knees in front of Bas and grabbed his hands. "I don't want you to be Blaine. I want you to be _you_ , Sebastian. Just be you, my dear, sweet, wonderful Bas. I love you."

Sebastian looked elated, and immediately kissed Kurt, long and sensuously and slow, then held him when Kurt trembled from his reaction.

Once he'd calmed, Bas encouraged him to take a shower and head to bed. Knowing he wouldn't be able to concentrate on studying, Kurt agreed.

Sebastian cleaned up from the meal and extinguished the candles, meeting Kurt in the bedroom. Kurt wore pajamas, and Bas put on a pair of sleep pants, leaving his chest bare as he normally did. They slid into bed.

"I'm not expecting sex, Blue Eyes, but I want to kiss you and hold you for as much as you're up for," Bas said frankly.

Kurt smiled and opened his arms. As they pressed together and Bas tilted his head to match up their lips, Kurt breathed in the scent of him, noting the hint of garlic from the breadsticks, and he stiffened.

"Ohmygod! Bas, I've been eating!" Kurt blurted. Sebastian drew back a little and smiled.

"Yeah, babe, you have. All week."

Kurt stared at him, digesting the implication of his anxiety symptoms being reduced during a time that had been the most emotionally stressful he had had since their year apart. He could see how proud Bas looked, of himself and Kurt, the little smirk Kurt loved so much curving his lips. It was so completely _Sebastian_ , the snarky, smart man he loved, so different from the quietly desperate person who he'd been acting like since the freakout after they'd had sex. Kurt laughed and kissed him, drawing them tightly together.

Bas fell into the kiss, elated that Kurt had initiated it, and in the knowledge that they, as a couple, had effortlessly conquered the most dangerous of Kurt's symptoms. It was irrefutable evidence that he was good for Kurt, and he hoped fervently that Kurt would keep that in mind while he was making his decision about them and their future together.

They kissed for ages, until their lips were chapped and their faces reddened from one another's evening whiskers. They both grew hard and lazily shifted against each other, but neither felt the need to take it further than the marathon makeout session. It was a new experience for them, a total first _ever_ for Bas, and when Kurt finally pulled back and admitted how tired he was, Bas simply smiled and turned out the light.

They held _each other_ as they fell to sleep.

~~Glee~~

The next few days, the couple established a routine, getting back into their studying and rehearsal habits and falling into bed so tired each night that they merely kissed and fell asleep.

Bas enjoyed watching Pamela Lansbury at their show, and saw how Elliott nudged Kurt in his direction afterward. Maybe Elliott was okay.

Days became a week, then two.

They both finally felt like they'd caught a breather after midterms, and Bas took them out to an indulgent dinner to celebrate. The romantic atmosphere from the small Italian restaurant bled over once they arrived home and they made out on the sofa for a while until they were both panting and hard.

"Bedroom? Please, we don't have to do anal, but I need you, Blue Eyes," Bas murmured into Kurt's ear before sucking his neck just below.

"Yes. _God_... Bas..."

In the bedroom, stripped down, Bas pushed Kurt back on the bed and spent time enjoying his perfect skin, kissing his chest and playing with his nipples until Kurt was a whining mess. Only then did Bas move down between his legs. Teasing Kurt and burying his nose in the short, crinkly pubes to inhale the perfect, familiar scent of him, running his hands up and down Kurt's thighs, reaching under to cup his ass, Bas worshipped his boyfriend lovingly. But once he started taking Kurt deep into his mouth, Kurt grew uncomfortable.

"Bas, wait, please, stop," Kurt choked. Immediately, Sebastian moved up to check in, pressing close but not continuing the sensual stimulation.

"It's okay. I'm right here. What is it, babe? What's happening?" Bas coaxed gently. Kurt rolled into Bas, burrowing closer, and Bas held him and waited.

"It was... I felt, um, alone. Kind of...untethered, or something. I'm used to Blaine or you kissing me while we do oral and I just..." Kurt answered, finally.

"Okay. It's okay, Blue Eyes," Bas said, running his hands up and down Kurt's back. "Do you want to stop?"

"No. I just don't know what to do about that feeling, Bas."

"Um, you wanna try sixty-nine? If you need something to do while I blow you..." Bas smirked. Kurt gave a watery chuckle.

"That's worth trying, I guess," he said.

Bas kissed him, spending a few minutes getting them both back to a fevered pitch, then moved and swung around to get them into the new position. He immediately started licking and sucking Kurt again, moaning when Kurt began reciprocating.

It was awkward, trying to concentrate on Kurt's pleasure while Kurt was working him over, too. Eventually, they developed a sort of tidal ebb and flow, trading off the intensity until Kurt finally cried out around Bas's cock while Bas swallowed the copious amount of pent up come he produced. As soon as the pulsing of his climax eased, Kurt went back determinedly to blowing Bas, and it wasn't long before he groaned into the hollow between Kurt's thigh and balls as he came.

Switching back around, Bas moved so they were able to kiss and hold each other, watching carefully for another emotional reaction from Kurt.

But Kurt just kissed him and held him close, murmuring his love for Bas until they drifted off to sleep.

 _A/N The song is May I by Trading Yesterday._

 _I'm finished writing this now, so I'm posting quickly, but I'd still love reading any reviews you feel like leaving._


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Don't You Cry No More

"The spring collections of these Japanese designers are so amazing! They're not super Asian looking exactly, they're just...edgy, I just want to dive in and-"

"Uh-huh," Bas responded, deadpan. Kurt looked over at him from his laptop screen and could tell Bas hadn't been listening at all.

Huffing, Kurt snapped his computer shut. "I'm calling Blaine."

"What? Why?" That got Sebastian's attention. He looked at Kurt, startled.

"You don't care about fashion. You don't even listen. It's been almost a month since I've even talked to him and I miss my best friend. I miss the boy I can talk about fashion with who _listens_ and understands," Kurt ranted. But the fear in Bas's eyes stopped him from continuing. He moved over to the couch. "I think I'm ready to be friends with him again. Is that... Do you understand that I want that?"

Bas licked his lips. He didn't look frightened anymore, just wary.

"Okay. I kinda miss playing video games with him."

Kurt smiled. "I'll let you decide when you want to ask him over for that. Preferably on a night I have rehearsal."

Bas chuckled and nodded.

Kurt grabbed his phone but then hesitated. "I guess I don't really know his schedule anymore. Think I should text him?"

Bas shrugged, already back to reading his text book and Kurt rolled his eyes.

From Kurt to Blaine: hi stranger. Are you available to chat?

It was only a few minutes later that Kurt's text alert sounded.

From Blaine: sure!

Kurt hit his speed dial before he could succumb to the butterflies in his stomach.

"Hi!" Blaine said, sounding happy.

"Hi swee-Blaine."

"How're you doing, Kurt?"

"I'm... I'm good. I am, actually. I'm getting used to just Bas and me. But... I guess I really miss my best friend."

"Aw, Kurt... I miss mine, too."

"Even with Sam?"

"Yeah, of course. It's been great to reconnect with him, and Mercedes is awesome, but..."

"Yeah."

"So, how is school going?" Blaine tried changing topic.

"Okay. It was a little rough but midterms went pretty well. I'm really enjoying my costuming class. Actually... Have you seen the latest designs from the Japanese? I was gushing about the spring collections to Bas, but-"

"He _so_ does not care."

"Exactly!"

They giggled together and started sighing over the latest fashion trends.

As that conversation wound down, Kurt girded himself to ask. "Um, have you been pursuing the, um, D/s... Well, the whole-"

"Not yet."

Kurt bit his lip. "Why not? You should go for it, sweetie, because I know that's something you need."

"I think I was sort of...waiting."

"What for?"

"Maybe, um, this? Some sort of closure to... Before I start... Kurt, I'm so relieved you're okay. I'm really glad it's working out with Bas."

Kurt nodded to himself and took a deep breath. "I've accepted that you're not coming back. You can move on, Blaine."

Blaine made a strange gasping sound. "Th-thank you. I guess I needed to hear that. So, um, do you think I should ask Elliott..."

"I think Elliott would show you the ropes, so to speak, yeah. I just... I worry about you still."

Blaine's tone was warm and affectionate. "I know. I promise to be careful."

When the call was disconnected, Kurt sat still, waiting to feel...something.

Bas looked over. "Babe?"

Kurt smiled as he returned Bas's gaze. "I'm okay."

Bas nodded.

Kurt laughed a little. "No, I mean, I actually feel okay. I'm not faking this."

Bas smiled back. "Good."

Kurt looked down at his phone. "I'm gonna call my dad."

Watching as Kurt went into the bedroom for privacy, Sebastian let out a long breath. Hope was bubbling cheerfully in his chest, and he let it.

In the other room, Kurt perched on the side of the bed and dialed his old phone number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Dad."

"Hey! It's about time, kiddo! Been over a month. Almost forgot what you sound like."

"I know. It's been...a little rocky."

"What's going on?"

"Well, let me just tell you that I'm feeling healthier than I have in a long time, okay? It's not about that."

"So...school?"

"Is okay, Dad. It's...it's Blaine. He, um, he left us," Kurt said, then hurried to explain. "We're still friends. Don't worry about that. I just talked to him, and he sounds so happy, Dad. He's rooming with Mercedes and Sam, and I think it's really good for him."

"Fine for him, Kurt, I'm glad he's okay: he's a good kid and he's important to all of us, but what about you?"

"I'm good, Dad," Kurt said, and his eyes teared up at how true that was. "Even while it was hard, right after he left, I never had any trouble with the eating thing or my anxiety."

"Really? Do you think..."

"It's Bas. At least in part. I mean, I've been working hard, going to therapy and doing my exercises, but... Bas is really good for me. And Blaine saw that, and that's part of why he left."

"So... Just you and Bas? You're not, like, looking for a third or something?"

"No. The poly thing... It was right for us then, but Bas and I are doing fine just us."

"Let me tell ya, kid, I'm glad. Not because there was something wrong with what ya had, but... You're gay, and unique, and... I think that anything that makes life easier for you from the way society treats you is good."

"I wonder..."

"Hmm?"

"Do you think in ten years, or twenty, that polyamory will be the next right people fight for? Gay marriage, gender identification... Are poly units next?"

"I don't know, kiddo. I'm not against it, 'cause I saw how it really worked for you, but I've fought the narrow minded people in congress and I can just imagine how hard that will be."

Kurt sighed. "So, how's Carole?"

"She's hanging in there. She works a lot. We've got Finn's room set up as a guest bedroom now, but we both...I think we both still half expect to see, or _smell_ , his stuff when we walk by the door, you know?"

Kurt laughed even as his heart ached. "Yeah, I'm surprised you ever got the locker room smell out of the walls and carpet."

They sat in silence, thinking about Finn.

"Thanks for calling, Kurt. For telling me about Blaine."

"I wasn't trying to hide it, I just... I needed time."

"I get it. Just don't wait another month before you call again, alright?"

"I won't."

"I love you, Kurt."

"Love you, too, Dad."

~~Glee~~

"I know just the place," Elliott told Blaine. "It's a non alcoholic, small club, so it's friendly for the 18-21 crowd. The owner is in recovery, so she caters to a specific clientele. Saturday night? After the show?"

"Um, okay. Can I bring a friend?"

"Sure! The more the merrier. Just make sure it's someone who respects other people's choices. There's pretty much zero tolerance for anyone who looks down on anything that happens there, or worse, laughs."

Blaine approached Sam to accompany him, but explained the rules Elliott had told him.

"Oh, wait, so Elliott's gonna be there? Man, he is like, the coolest dude I've ever seen. Yeah, I'm in."

Blaine laughed incredulously. "You'll come because Elliott will be there, not to support me?"

"Oh, come on, dude, you know I'd do anything for you, but hanging out with that guy is, like, a dream come true!"

"Do I sense a little man-crush?"

"If I was into dudes, I'd be all over that."

Blaine shook his head and thanked Sam for agreeing to go with him.

The club was in a long, narrow, corner apartment. Blaine and Sam exchanged confused looks as they went into the building, but Elliott looked confident, so they followed along.

Inside, Blaine decided the owner must be a David Lynch fan. In the muted light, there was dreamy mood music playing, and the living room had red walls, black and white striped carpet, and a variety of black or red velvet covered furniture around.

A tiny man, not more that three feet tall, approached them immediately with a dark haired woman crawling behind him, a slim leash attached to a leather collar around her neck. Elliott paid their entrance fee and patted the woman's head.

"Welcome, all," the little man greeted. "Tonight's libations are fruit juices from South America. Room number three has a walk-in closet where you may leave whatever clothing you wish to remove. The boy there will give you a ticket. Room one is blacklight, and there is paint available. Rooms two and four have a variety of implements for public use. Please, have a good evening."

Sam leaned close to Blaine and whispered, "Dude, I expected him to speak backwards or say 'Let's rock' in a weird accent."

"I thought you weren't supposed to touch a sub without permission," Blaine whispered to Elliott.

"That is usually safest. She's the owner, though. I was showing respect."

The music changed to a jazzy sound, and Blaine frowned in surprise and nodded and followed Elliott to the kitchen where a tall blonde tranny poured them drinks. Blaine put his hand on Elliott's arm when he reached for his wallet again, and paid for the drinks himself. The cover had been pricey. Not having ordered, they each just accepted what was handed to them, and Blaine politely thanked the server before taking a sip. The orange colored, thick liquid was flavorful papaya, and Blaine relaxed. Sam took a healthy swig of his pale green drink and identified, "Melon," to Blaine before sipping further.

"What'd you get?" Sam asked Elliott.

"Raspberry."

They circulated around the living room for a few minutes, Blaine watching the people with shy curiosity. There were male and female pairs, male male, and one redheaded woman with three girls curled around her like kittens. Some subs knelt, some sat in their Doms' laps, some stood. The individuals who hung out weren't all obvious in their orientation. Blaine caught a couple of different people eying him, one an obvious Dom woman who seemed to be going for a Xena aesthetic, and another a young man with sandy hair and no visible tells as to what type he might be looking for. He merely wore a polo shirt and jeans, and he was talking with the Dom woman with the three subs.

When Blaine was caught looking back, the young man smiled slightly and raised his glass in greeting. Blaine blushed and hurried to stand by Sam and Elliott again. He peeked over his shoulder and saw the man chuckling. Blaine shrugged and smiled at him.

"You ready to lose the jackets?" Elliott asked the younger boys. They both nodded, as the temperature in the apartment was rather warm to accommodate the people who wore little or nothing.

Elliott stripped down to a mesh scrap of a tank top and his leather pants, and Sam unselfconsciously went all the way down to a pair of blue designer bikini briefs. When Elliott raised his eyebrows, Sam just shrugged and smiled.

"I love glow in the dark body paint, and Blaine draws real good. I'm gonna have him make me Superman," the blonde explained. Elliott chuckled and waved as if to say 'to each his own'.

Blaine checked his jacket, but didn't remove any more than that. Sam stopped him from leaving the clothing check area.

"Dude, you're gonna get too hot if you leave that sweater on."

Blaine blinked rapidly and then nodded. He pulled the sweater vest off, and was immediately more comfortable in the warm apartment.

Elliott clapped him on the back and they went back into the hallway. "Maybe later you'll get totally wild and undo the top button."

Blaine blushed but left the collar of his plaid shirt securely fastened.

Sam got Blaine to paint him up with the big S on his chest and the lines as if he wore boots and a cape, then hung out in the UV room, bopping to the techno beat. The people in the dark room were mostly dancing, and Elliott tugged Blaine toward the door once Sam was engaged with a short guy who squealed at the superhero paint and started dancing with him.

"I don't think you're here for a mini-rave. You wanna check out the other rooms with me?" Elliott said. Blaine waved at Sam and followed as the tall, nearly shirtless Elliott made his way back to the hall.

The other two rooms blended together in Blaine's mind, a wash of incredibly arousing equipment and scenarios played out live before his eyes. Seeing a sub paddled, and another edged over and over, then iced until his erection cringed away to limpness, Blaine had stood, shaking. But when a sub tied to a chair had his balls slapped again and again, he'd nearly come in his pants.

Elliott had put his arm around Blaine and steered him out of the room, back to the kitchen, and bought him another fruit juice, urging him to drink it, which helped calm his body down.

Sam joined them in the living room soon after, and they retrieved their checked clothing and headed out with unspoken accord. Blaine shyly gave one final glance over his shoulder to the sandy-haired man, receiving a wink and a smile, then Elliott, Sam, and Blaine were out the door.

Blaine sprung for a taxi, too preoccupied to attempt to navigate the subway.

"I think I've got a flashlight somewhere with a black light. I've gotta show Mercedes this before I wash it off," Sam babbled on happily, somehow not thrown in the least by the scenes they'd witnessed.

"Blaine, is this a good silence or a bad one? I don't know you well enough to tell," Elliott asked. Blaine shook his head.

"I don't know for sure. Good, I think?"

"Dude, that's totally your scene, man. I could tell you wanted to just drop down and crawl. Especially with that preppy guy," Sam interjected cheerfully.

Elliott's eyebrows rose. "The one who was talking to Amy all night? The Domme with the three subs?"

"Yeah, the dude talking to the hot redhead," Sam replied offhandedly. "Just don't tell Mercedes I said that."

Elliott looked at Blaine's blushing cheeks and wide eyes.

"His name is Eric. He's a barista at a Starbucks near NYU," Elliott told Blaine, who bit his lip and blushed harder even while he nodded his thanks. "He's a really nice guy. Very strict about boundaries. I think you two would get along great."

They dropped Elliott off first and then Sam and Blaine got out and mounted the stairs to the apartment. It was quiet and dark, and they murmured goodnight to each other, Blaine heading immediately to his room.

As soon as he was naked, Blaine dropped to his knees and started beating off. Seeing those people enacting scenes in person had fueled his imagination like no porn ever had. He pinched his nipple and twisted it hard, gasping at the pain. He wasn't going to last.

Forcing his hand away from his cock, Blaine thought of the things he'd seen. Out of curiosity, he pulled his balls down from where they were high and tight against his shaft. With two fingers he tapped them, the pain shooting up into his belly. How had that sub endured having his slapped so hard? Biting his lip, Blaine hit himself again, harder, and doubled over, choking. His erection danced in reaction, though, and he imagined what it would be like to have the sandy-haired Eric be the one administering the blows. He shuddered.

As the pain started to ease, Blaine climbed onto his bed and laid on his back. He grabbed his lube and slowly stroked himself. Unable to stop himself, his other hand sneaked down and cupped his aching balls. And started to squeeze.

Shudders cascaded through Blaine as his strokes sped up while the pain coiled tight in his belly. He gasped and panted, feeling sweat pop up all over his face and chest. Just as he was about to come, he clenched his fingers tight around his balls and had to stifle a scream as he shot all over himself while his testicles felt like they'd been replaced by hot coals and he simultaneously thought he might vomit.

Curling on his side, Blaine sobbed as he trembled through the aftermath. He shakily reached for tissues to clean up, then wrapped himself in the blanket as best he could without moving.

As he drifted toward sleep, his entire groin area throbbing, he decided he couldn't wait to try that again.

~~Glee~~

Over the next few days, Blaine could barely concentrate. He couldn't stop thinking about the things he had seen and plan additional ways to explore them by himself.

Everyday objects took on new possibilities. Clothespins. He'd seen plenty of videos online using them. He saw scarves in a whole new light, and with the cold snap they were experiencing, scarves were _everywhere_. Did Eric wear a scarf? He tied his bow ties a little tighter, and occasionally wore the old ski gloves he'd inherited from Cooper with the plastic clip keeping them attached to each other for as long as he could manage.

When he ran into Kurt on campus, he overflowed talking about all of it.

"Blaine, please, you have to promise me you won't try anything that might be actually dangerous. I'm worried that if you keep going on your own you'll get hurt. And I'm worried that if you find the wrong person that you'll get hurt. I don't know what to think about all of this," Kurt confessed over coffee.

The concern was exactly what Blaine needed to snap him out of the fog he'd been in.

"You're right. I need to be more careful. I have to remember SSC."

Kurt looked bewildered.

"Safe, sane, and consensual. It's...sort of a catchphrase, a guide to what's acceptable in BDSM. Obviously I'm consenting to myself, but I need to keep the other two in mind."

"Safe, sane, and consensual. I like that. Although... Sane is kind of up to the individual. You know Bas and I don't really think any of this is quite...right," Kurt pondered.

Blaine reached out and took Kurt's hand. "I know."

Kurt looked at their hands on the table, smiling a little sadly at the sense of familiarity that was quickly fading to nostalgia.

"Thank you, sweetie. I think SSC was exactly what I needed to understand, too."

Kurt told Bas about the encounter and the surprisingly down to earth idea of SSC that evening.

Bas was unconvinced. "I doubt my dad ever thought what he was doing to me was insane, but it was. It was totally fucked up," he said, shaking his head. "Do you think..."

"What, honey?"

"He never, um, he never talked to me, you know, after he left. I haven't seen him since."

Kurt's eyes widened. "Ohmygod, Bas! I'm so sorry. That's awful! Do you want me to-"

"No. I can handle talking to our ex-boyfriend by myself."

Kurt studied Bas for so long that Bas grew uncomfortable.

"What!"

"You're amazing."

"...what?"

"Sebastian, you are a strong, smart, sexy man. I'm proud that you're mine."

~~Glee~~

From Blaine to Elliott: which Starbucks near NYU does Eric work at?

Elliott shared the location.

From Elliott: but I can do you better- join a group of us going to see a new band in the Village tomorrow night. He's coming

From Blaine: yes! Text where and when

The club was loud, and Blaine was too nervous to approach the object of his desire, instead peeking at him too often to be subtle.

Eventually, Eric came to him.

"Hi. I'm Eric Blake. And you are?" He said very directly.

"Blaine Anderson. Um, hi."

Blaine was glad he was already sitting down, because even straining slightly to be heard, Eric's lightly drawling voice was deeper than Blaine would have expected from his slender frame and youthful features, making Blaine's knees shake.

"Relax, darlin'. I just saw you looking and wanted to meet you proper."

"Th-thank you. I'm pleased to meet you," Blaine said, putting his hand out to shake. His early training in social niceties helped him overcome the shyness that kept overwhelming him when faced with the attractive young man who very possibly might be the answer to every kinky fantasy Blaine had.

Eric's face lit with a gorgeous smile, and he shook Blaine's hand enthusiastically.

"Well isn't that nice. I rarely run across a young man who knows how to behave like a gentleman."

Blaine blushed furiously at the praise. It felt so good!

Eric sat beside him and turned his attention back to the band. Blaine remained hyper aware of the man and barely registered the music.

When the set finished, their group broke up, being mostly students who had classes the following day. Blaine stayed near Eric, and as others peeled off from their cluster, he tried to stem his eagerness.

Once they were alone, Eric spoke.

"Elliott told me you're just coming off of a long term relationship. I don't date casually, Blaine, and I don't think you're ready for...me. Let's keep this friendly, and just see each other when we're out with mutual friends. I'll let you know when I think it's time for us to take it further."

Blaine felt the weight of disappointment slam his shoulders into a slump.

"I, um, I guess I thought maybe we..."

Eric stopped and held Blaine's arm, turning the shorter man to face himself.

"So far, I like you, Blaine. You're attractive, and you're polite. I don't think Elliott would be facilitating our meeting if we weren't at least a good possible match. But I'm not going to be a rebound. You need time. Take the opportunity I'm giving you and really let yourself feel the loss of what you had, and think about why you lost it. Wrangle that. Find your peace with it. I'll let you know when I think you're ready."

Blaine almost fell to his knees there on the sidewalk. And he could see how the reaction affected Eric.

"Oh, darlin', you are temptation incarnate. I wouldn't be setting these stipulations if I didn't think we might have something."

Putting his arm around Blaine, Eric led him toward the subway.

~~Glee~~

Blaine did as Eric had instructed and spent time every evening thinking about the relationship he'd left.

Still loving Kurt made it complicated, and Blaine tried to unravel the difference between loving Kurt as a friend and loving him as a boyfriend.

When Bas texted asking him to meet, Blaine added the complex feeling he had about him to his contemplation and came to some startling conclusions. He went to see Sebastian eagerly.

"It galls me that I owe you for the best thing in my life," Bas said as soon as Blaine sat down across from him when they met up. Blaine's eyebrows shot up.

"Okay. Skipping the niceties. Got it," Blaine said. "Bas, believe me, you have more than earned what you have with Kurt."

Bas frowned. "What's that supposed to mean, _earned_ it?"

Blaine took a drink of his coffee. "I mean that you are good for him. He loves and needs you, and you love and need him. You're right together, Bas. It's why I left."

Bas felt the hurt he'd been suppressing ache dully in his gut.

"You left."

Blaine nodded cautiously.

"You left, and you told Kurt you were going, but you didn't bother to tell me. Why?"

Blaine frowned. "Bas..."

"You tried to make me believe we were boyfriends, too, but breaking up with Kurt and not even speaking to me made me feel...you never even liked me, did you? You pitied me."

"Oh Bas! No... No, it's not like that. I...I knew you would be okay. I focused on Kurt because he's... He's become so fragile, and I didn't want to be the thing that broke him. You make him strong and I make him weak. You are strong, Bas. So incredibly strong."

Bas shook his head. "I thought... I thought that at least we were friends, Blaine. All the time together, all the sex. I always tried to do right by you, tried to be a good boyfriend. But I was just a way to prop Kurt up, huh? Well, you're fucking wrong about him. He's not weak. He's fucking velvet over steel. With the right support he can do anything. And you were stupid to let him go. He's better than you deserve. He's-"

"Bas, stop!"

Sebastian glared at Blaine.

"Please, can we talk about you and me? I'm sorry I got sidetracked. I didn't mean to belittle Kurt. I know he's strong! He's beside the point of this conversation, though. Please?"

Bas gestured angrily for Blaine to continue. Blaine took a deep breath. Eric was right. He needed to deal with all this before he could try to be in a new relationship.

"I felt bad for you in the hospital. I wouldn't call it pity, but... From that first day when you got hurt, it was you and Kurt. You know that, right? Everything I did or said trying to be nice and make you feel better was nothing that you needed. Kurt took care of you the way you needed, and I was along for the ride. He even sent me away because he knew I was doing it wrong, remember?"

"He sent you away because he was jealous I wanted you."

"Sort of, at first. But you can't deny that you preferred how he helped you to how I did."

Bas shrugged, but Blaine was pretty sure it was a concession.

"As soon as we started seeing each other all three of us, you and Kurt took care of each other...and me. I was always the third wheel, Bas. It hurts to admit it, but I lost Kurt the moment you and he clicked. I was the dead weight you both carried," Blaine said, the confession burning like acid, making his eyes tear up.

Bas frowned. "It was never like that, Blaine! Don't say that."

"It's true. And it's why I left. And not wanting to face it is why I didn't talk to you. As horrible as it was to break Kurt's heart, that was easier for me to do than to face this. Maybe I didn't want to talk to you because I knew you'd make me admit it," Blaine said softly, looking down at his drink and feeling miserable.

They sat in silence for a while.

"Blaine... It's okay that you need a partner who will take care of you. Babe, you took care of us, too. It's not as lopsided as you're claiming. And, uh, when you find the guy who's right for you, you're going to take care of him, too. What you have, who you are; that sweet, loving compassion: it's going to be exactly what he needs, too. You're going to find your match. You deserve to."

A tear tracked down Blaine's cheek and he bit his lip.

"Thank you, Sebastian. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you sooner. It was wrong. I really want us to be friends still. Do you think that's possible?"

Bas's expression softened. "Of course it's possible. I've missed you. Kurt sucks at Xbox."

Blaine laughed. "You should come over and play with me and Sam. He's still in touch with some of the other McKinley guys, too. Maybe we could invite Artie or something. Mercedes is even alright at it."

"Okay," Bas said, nodding, his heart feeling lighter. He hadn't even realised that it had been weighed down by the frustration and resentment he'd been feeling until it was lifting. "We'll do that."

~~Glee~~

"I can't fucking believe those lazy bastards didn't do their part! I'm not even putting their names on this project!" Bas snarled. It was nearly midnight and he had been working for three hours on the parts of the group project that his partners had failed to deliver on as he'd discovered when he'd finally gotten ahold of them that afternoon. The semester was winding down, and Kurt understood how stressed Bas was. When Bas had been in Ohio, he'd had plenty of time for school, especially since he'd had no friends and only lacrosse as an extracurricular, but in New York there was always something to do, and the relationship drama earlier in the semester hadn't helped. Hopefully Bas would consider their situation more for his spring courses. Kurt loved that Bas was driven to succeed, but he felt lonely even when they were home together with how much time Bas spent studying.

Kurt delivered a refill on Bas's coffee and kissed the top of his boyfriend's messy hair. "I know, my boy."

"I hate group projects!"

"I understand."

Kurt went to the kitchen to check on the scones he was baking to keep Bas fueled for his all-nighter. His phone buzzed on the counter as he was pulling the pan from the oven and he frowned at it, hurrying to set the scones on the trivet and remove his oven mitts. The screen had a smiling Blaine on it and Kurt shook his head, hoping there wasn't an emergency.

"Hello?"

" _Kurt! You and Bas need to meet me at Callbacks!_ "

"Bas is working on a project, Blaine."

Bas heard Kurt speaking in the kitchen and paused from his work to listen. Blaine hadn't called often since he'd left and Bas hoped everything was okay.

"No, I'm not going to leave him here alone," Kurt said.

Bas tensed. If Blaine needed Kurt, Bas would have to tell Kurt to go.

"You're drunk. You should probably go home."

Bas put his laptop on the coffee table and turned to face the kitchen.

"No, Blaine. I'm staying home to be with Bas."

"Because he's my boyfriend and he could use my support."

"Yes, we're still friends..."

"...karaoke is not an emergency."

"I could come..."

Bas's shoulders drooped at that. His heart had sped up when Kurt called him his boyfriend, but if Blaine pushed, Kurt would probably go to him.

And he should. They were friends. Bas was fine working on the project on his own, it wasn't like he _needed_ Kurt there.

"...but I'm not going to, Blaine."

"No. You're drunk. Take a taxi home."

"Is Rachel there?"

"Just Sam. Okay. Well, let me talk to him."

"Sam, he's drunk."

"Yes, I know it's only two beers."

"Okay, good."

"No, I'm not coming. I'm at home."

"I don't care, he's not my boyfriend!"

"Just tell him- No. No, I don't-"

"Blaine, _no_. Calm down. Have fun with Sam, and get home safely."

Kurt's voice changed and became cool.

"I'm done talking about this. I'm not coming. No. _Goodnight_ , Blaine."

Kurt plated a scone and brought it out with a napkin.

"Here's some carb-y goodness to help you stay awake," Kurt said, setting it next to Bas's laptop. His tone of voice was back to calm and warm.

Bas stared at him.

"What."

"You-you can go, if you want to," Bas offered, trying not to sound sullen.

Kurt shook his head. "I don't want to. I want to stay with you."

"I'm not an obligation, or a child, Kurt," Bas snapped, sneering. "You can leave me home alone."

Kurt recoiled from the vitriol. He bit his lip and tried to remain calm.

"Please don't try to drive me away by being mean. I said I want to be with you, and I meant it."

Bas looked away. He was breathing hard and felt like getting up and leaving himself. He could finish in the library and go straight to class... He glanced up at Kurt and away again.

Kurt's heart ached at the struggle he saw Bas enduring. He moved closer and sat down delicately on the couch.

"I love you," Kurt said quietly.

Bas looked straight at him, scrutinizing his expression. Kurt tried to keep his face neutral and let his eyes show his sincerity.

"I..." Bas trailed off.

Kurt saw him softening and leaned in and kissed his cheek. Then he settled back against the cushions and grabbed his copy of Vogue from the side table, flipping through to the article where he'd stopped reading the previous morning.

Bas turned back to his laptop and the scone on the coffee table. He pulled the computer onto his knees and took a bite of the warm cranberry-orange treat. His favorite.

"I love you, too."

~~Glee~~

Blaine saw Eric twice more at group events and had started going to his Starbucks occasionally as well. They flirted, and talked, and their understanding of each other grew, along with their attraction.

"Bas came over and we had a great time playing Call of Duty. Once Artie got used to the idea that Sebastian really wasn't the bully he used to be, anyway," Blaine said. Eric had finished his shift and they were sitting in the corner of the coffee shop.

"I'm ready to take you out," Eric said. Blaine's head snapped up to look at the man.

"But... You're... I..."

"Blaine. Do you still find me attractive?"

Blaine was mesmerized. He stared into Eric's hazel eyes and was spellbound by the strength and intensity he saw there. He nodded, helplessly. Right then he found Eric so wildly attractive that he was inclined to drop to his knees and rest his forehead on Eric's boots.

"Do you think you're ready for that? Ready for a date?"

"If you say so," Blaine said softly and lowered his eyes. His heart was beating fast and he wanted to burst into glorious song.

Eric grinned. He looked younger when he smiled that way, and Blaine looked up through his eyelashes at the tall man.

"I think we are going to get along just fine. I'll pick you up at 7 on Friday," Eric told him.

 _A/N One chapter to go! I really hope you'll let me know if you find the ending satisfying._


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Here in This Moment

"I went out with Eric!" Blaine blurted. In the months since he had left Kurt and Bas, they hadn't talked about Blaine dating. At first it was too painful for Kurt, and Blaine wasn't ready, anyway. But Eric was different.

"Elliott's friend? The barista?" Bas asked. Elliott had spoken of the young man, citing him as an ideal example of a healthy personality in the BDSM scene. Bas watched Kurt's face as they both talked on Kurt's phone over the speaker, and he relaxed slightly when Kurt's expression didn't cloud.

"Yes! I don't want to make you guys uncomfortable with too much detail, but it was _amazing_. We're going out again tomorrow," Blaine replied, bubbling over with his patented excitement.

"I'm glad, Blaine," Kurt said. His voice was a little subdued, but sounded warm. Bas took his hand, and Kurt nodded reassuringly.

"We want you to be happy, short-stuff. You deserve to have amazing," Bas added.

"Aw, thank you! I'm glad it's someone you've heard about at least. I don't know what Elliott said about him..."

Kurt's heart twisted just a little. "El said he's a good Dom, sweetie. I understand that's something you're looking for."

Sebastian squeezed his hand and Kurt gave him a small smile.

"We haven't really gotten into that very much, but he's got this commanding presence... I feel safe and cared for with him. I think it could be really good."

Kurt huffed a laugh. "I must still have Dominant tendencies, because part of me wants to interview him and make sure he'll be what you want and need."

Blaine giggled. "At least you didn't have an open casting call," he said, then adopted Kurt's higher voice and speech pattern, "Alright, people, thank you for coming. Those with a breath kink can leave now: that's too dangerous. Leather daddy, you're gone, too, Blaine's not into that. Everyone else, please hand Bas your résumé and I will call you in one by one."

Kurt and Bas laughed aloud and smiled at each other.

"Don't think I wouldn't!" Kurt assured.

~~Glee~~

"Shit!"

Kurt peeked out from the bathroom, smoothing his final product across his nose and chin. "What's wrong?"

"What are we doing for Christmas? Are you going to Ohio? I haven't gotten you a ticket-"

Kurt came over and pressed a finger lightly to Bas's lips.

"I bought our plane tickets. You've been so stressed, I just took care of it. I... Is it okay I used your account? I can pay you back-"

Bas grabbed him and kissed him hard on the mouth.

"I love you. I'm glad you felt comfortable doing that. You don't use your debit card enough, Blue Eyes," Bas said. It felt wonderful that Kurt had made a big purchase from Bas's money, even if it was for both of them and not just Kurt using the money for anything he needed.

Kurt blushed. "I planned for us to stay at Dad's for two full weeks. I know I should have asked you, but there's just never enough time, and you're so busy with finals, but if you wanted to go somewhere else, I could switch your ticket, although I want to be with you so-"

"Kurt."

"Did you want to go skiing or something? You could go lay on a beach, but I'd worry about you getting sunburned and I would miss you so much, honey, and I really want you to get more comfortable with Dad and Carole-"

"Kurt! Stop."

Kurt bit his lip, looking uncertain. And completely adorable.

"I don't want a vacation without you. I can't guarantee that everything will go smoothly with me and your folks, but I want you to enjoy your winter break. I'm going wherever you're going, babe. Thanks for arranging it."

"But-"

"Shut up," Bas interrupted. He kissed Kurt again and then let go, turning back to his books. "I need to study."

Kurt stayed there, watching Bas for a few minutes. He did a few of his deep breathing exercises and nodded to himself, getting up and heading to the bedroom.

Picking up his sketchbook, Kurt sighed happily and sat on the bed. He was glad to be nearly finished with his costume class project, and couldn't practice for his voice or dance finals, so he had some free time to draw.

~~Glee~~

At Eric's insistence, the first three dates they had were vanilla, getting-to-know-you dates. They'd kissed and even made out on the third date, but beyond Eric's natural commanding presence, there had been few D/s overtones to the events.

When Eric proposed that their fourth date be a serious discussion about how their future times together would be, Blaine was thrilled.

The couple had discovered that they got along beautifully, having enough similarities to their interests to indicate real compatibility, and enough differences that they wouldn't get bored with one another.

Blaine hadn't expected Eric to hand him a multi-paged document with an elaborate list of kinks over dinner. Seeing the loft where Eric lived for the first time was exciting, and the meal his host had prepared smelled delicious.

Everything was forgotten the moment Blaine started reading.

As his face heated, he noticed that each line had a column beyond it where Eric had noted his own preferences.

"Darlin', I know Elliott thinks I'm very experienced, but I'm going to be completely honest with you: I have only had one sub, and I've just dated a fair amount. I'm not looking for someone who wants to dabble in some kink. I want a partner whose nature compliments mine. I feel that could be you. I know you're looking for long term, like I am. So read that carefully. We can talk about anything you have questions on. By the end of the evening, I expect we will either be finished or we'll be in a monogamous D/s relationship."

Blaine's heart soared.

There was much to talk about. Blaine's knowledge mostly came from porn, so he had a lot to learn. His personal experience was so limited that he was embarrassed at first. But Eric was gentle and kind, and he told Blaine quite openly about his own previous experiences, which helped Blaine relax, knowing that they were both still relatively new to the lifestyle and would be finding their way together.

"Communication is essential, Blaine. I have to know every nuance of what you think and feel about everything we do."

"Yes. Yes, I agree completely. I trust you, Eric, but I know that being honest is the only way to give you the information you need to make decisions for us."

So the food was consumed, and they moved to the sofa as they went through the thorough document. When they finished, finally, Eric took the pages from Blaine and set them aside.

"I think we can do this. I want to do this. How do you feel?"

"I'm a little scared of some of the things you want to try, but I trust you, and I know I can always tell you if I'm uncomfortable. Yes, I want to be yours, Eric. I want to be your boyfriend and your submissive."

"Oh, sweet pea, I'm so glad to hear you say that. I'm ready to start right now."

"Yes, please. I really want to make you come. Please?"

Eric laughed. "Mm. I think I may make you beg some more before we get to that, but I like the way you're thinking."

~~Glee~~

"You're ignoring me," Kurt said playfully, nudging Bas's legs up with the toes he'd tucked under his boyfriend's thighs.

"I have my final presentation on Friday. I'm studying," Bas dismissed.

"But I miss you!"

"I'm right here, Blue Eyes." Bas never took his eyes off his book.

"Sebastian..."

That got Bas's attention. He frowned, looking at Kurt. "Yeah?"

"I. Miss. You."

Kurt wiggled his foot into the couch cushions and deeper under Bas, finding a more sensitive area to nudge with his toes.

"Quit that! I told you, I'll suck your toes but I don't want them anywhere near my junk or ass."

"Bas..." Kurt whined.

Sebastian hid his amusement, huffing as he tossed his book aside and affected a frustrated manner.

"Jeez, what, you're not going to leave me alone until I fuck you or something?"

Kurt's eyes lit up. He giggled and climbed into Bas's lap and gave a shimmy. Bas broke; he laughed.

Kissing and slowly undressing one another, Bas maintained their positioning, enjoying holding Kurt's slim waist and sliding his palms across Kurt's back. Kurt arched when he did that, and laid back so his chest was spread out in front of Sebastian like an offering. And Bas wasn't about to pass that up. He worshipped the perfect skin, licking and just dragging his lips all over.

"Ohmygod, Bas... Please..."

"Anything my love."

"I want you...just like this."

Bas looked up at Kurt and saw nothing but conviction and passion in his eyes. None of the hesitance that had slowly been slipping away as Kurt grew accustomed to loving without Blaine. This was the first time Kurt had asked Bas to top, and the first time there was no shadow of grief or sorrow or wistfulness in Kurt's expression.

"Of course," Bas agreed in a whisper, not trusting his full volume not to shake. He reached to the side table and pulled out a bottle of lube from the little drawer.

In all the time since Blaine had left, they'd only had anal sex the one time. They'd stuck with oral, usually still in a sixty-nine, or handjobs, or rubbing off on each other. Having Kurt initiate so playfully and without any darker undertones made Bas feel special and emotional.

Kurt kissed him deeply as Bas ran his fingers up and down Kurt's crack, eventually rubbing his middle finger in little circles over the tight pucker. Kurt moaned into Bas's mouth when Bas breached him, and Sebastian held him firmly and carefully when Kurt shivered.

Bas took a long time opening Kurt. By his recollection, it had been quite a while since Kurt had bottomed, and Sebastian never wanted to hurt his love.

"Oooohhh, Bas..." Kurt groaned when he finally lowered himself onto Bas's cock. He threw his head back and arched again, giving Bas the uninterrupted view of his chest and neck with his long erection standing proud.

But Bas wanted more.

"Look at me, baby," Bas urged. Kurt raised his head and looked down across his body into Sebastian's eyes. "I love you," Bas said, then bumped his hips up.

"Ngh! God, Bas! Oh, my love, yes... Mmm. You feel amazing."

Bas held Kurt in his strong arms, encouraging him to relax back so Kurt would get full benefit of the angle of Bas's cock inside him.

"I've got you, Blue Eyes. Stroke yourself. I'm gonna give you a good ride."

Kurt's eyebrow rose in challenge, and Bas grinned. Kurt fumbled and got the lube and fisted himself, leaning back into Bas's arms.

Bas started humping into Kurt, and Kurt's mouth dropped open as he cried out.

"Fuck! Yes... Ye-right there- Oh! Bas!"

"That's it baby... I'm gonna give you what you need... Always, love..."

"Oh! God! Bas! Yes! There! Yes!"

Kurt fell into the deeply satisfying sensation of Bas's strength supporting him, of Bas's thrusts hitting him just right, and Bas's love filling every part of his body and his life.

Watching Kurt surrender to him made Bas's heart soar.

"Yes, love, yes... I've got you. Feel it. Take it, baby... Oh, Kurt... Come for me, Blue Eyes, c'mon..."

Kurt obeyed, with his shuddering sigh of breath, spurting wildly over both their chests, and the greedy clenching of his ass drew a shout from Sebastian as he filled Kurt.

Slumping forward, trembling and gasping as he reacted to the continuing little twitches of Bas inside him, Kurt let his head rest on Bas's shoulder, feeling safe and wonderful in his lover's strong arms.

"Ohmygod, Kurt, I love you. I wanna make you come like that all the fucking time," Bas said.

"Oh, honey, there's no way I could take that much pleasure all the time. Thank you, love. God, you're amazing, Sebastian."

"Aren't you glad we don't both have porn star dicks? I wouldn't be able to get that angle if I was-"

"You are _not_ asking for more validation of your sexual prowess and reassurance about your cock size right after you obviously blew my mind, right?"

Bas laughed. "Hey, I'm allowed to ask for more ego stroking. I've earned it."

Kurt lifted his head and looked straight into Bas's eyes. "That was incredible. You are a sex god. I love you."

Bas's grin was so big it took up half his face. "Say that last part again."

"I love you."

"I will never get tired of hearing that."

"I love you, I love you, I love you!"

They laughed, and the tensing of Kurt's body squeezed Bas's softening dick out of him.

"Oh, ew!" Kurt jumped up to save the sofa from any further soiling, and laughing, Bas rose with him, heading for the bathroom to shower and clean up.

~~Glee~~

"I've never known anyone like your dad," Bas said. Kurt looked sharply at him. Sebastian had been unusually quiet all day as they left the Hummel-Hudson home, drove to Columbus, and sat through two delays before finally getting into the air on the way back to New York.

"He's a great dad."

"I... I told him everything. We were talking last night and it just..."

Kurt's eyes widened.

"I mean, my doctor had to pry that shit outta me, or make you tell him. But he just... So he heard all about my fucked up past. I just wanted you to know."

"Honey... What did he say?"

Bas smiled. "He said you're the right man for me. Everyone who's ever been in my life and who's supposed to have loved me just, um, _hasn't_ , and, well, you, um, you choose to. And Burt assured me that you're never going to just abandon me. He said if it comes to us splitting up, he knows you'll talk it to death and never just dump me like garbage like my family did."

Kurt grabbed Bas's hand. "He's right. I would never leave you alone. That one night, when I thought Blaine was choosing you over me, I was only going to leave because I knew he'd stay."

"When... Oh, jeez, man, you've got a memory like an elephant. You're talking about the cirque du soliel weekend, right?"

"I remember every time I've hurt you."

Bas didn't know what to say to that.

"That's...fucked up, Kurt. I can't just remind you of every time you've made me feel good to counter that; it'd take as long as our relationship has been. So drop that shit. I don't want you to think of the crappy times we've had, I want us to think of the good times and how great the future will be."

Kurt dabbed his eyes. "The future, huh? What, Broadway and... I don't know how you do it, being in school without an idea of what you want to do."

"Broadway maybe, or... I don't know if I can see a time you're not designing clothes, Blue Eyes. Who knows where you'll end up? I think I deal with the uncertainty of my professional future because I have a very strong grasp of what I want for my personal life. You."

Kurt smiled and put his head on Bas's shoulder. He'd convinced Bas that business class was good enough, and had argued that they would have been too far apart had they flown first class. He was very glad he'd insisted, now.

"I love you, Bas. I hope you know how lucky I feel having you for my lover."

Bas's breath caught at the word. Lover. One who loves. Yes. He knew how incredibly lucky he was, too.

Back home at the apartment, preparing for the start of the new semester, Kurt decided to ask Bas about the things he'd been wondering.

"Bas...?" He asked as they got ready for bed.

"Mm?"

"Why didn't you ever tell anyone?"

Sebastian stopped moving for a long moment, then finished pulling on his sleep pants.

"'Bout my dad?"

"Yes."

Bas sighed. He'd told Burt the facts, but he hadn't really spoken about how he felt about all of it. Kurt was the only person he had ever been close enough to that he felt like he could tell his secrets, and his shame.

"It was just the way it was. After mom left... He said things like, 'Seb, this is all your fault,' and 'No one will believe a word you say, you little shit,' and then later, when-when I came back from France, um," he paused. Kurt knew that part, and he moved around the bed to hug Bas protectively, reassuringly. "I guess I felt like I deserved it, sort of."

"You know you didn't, right? No matter what happened with your mom?"

"I... I'm learning. That, um, that therapist is making me kinda, um, really deal with it."

"I'm glad you have help. I want to help, but I know you need more than what I can do."

Bas stared hard into Kurt's eyes. "You saved me."

"Blaine was the one-"

"Do you remember that first day in the hospital?"

"You were horrible to us," Kurt said, smiling.

"Yes." Bas half shrugged. "And you just made it all feel like everything could keep on going, like my life didn't have to suddenly become a Hallmark movie...that I could still _have_ a life. That wasn't Blaine. His sympathy was physically painful to me. You said and did something miraculous. You gave me hope. I want to spend the rest of my life sharing that hope, that promise, with you, Kurt."

"The-the rest of your life?"

"If you'll have me."

"Don't be an idiot. Of course I'll have you!" Kurt thrilled at the confirmation that Bas felt as strongly as he did about their future together.

"So I'm not sloppy seconds?" Bas asked in a rush, saying the thing he'd worried about the most.

"What do you mean by that? Bas, you're everything to me."

"I'm not Blaine."

"Ohmygod, seriously, Sebastian?"

"It keeps coming up in my therapy sessions and my doc said it's time to ask you flat out. He doesn't even want to see me again until I do, so..."

Kurt stared up at his lover, his partner, the man he could easily see as his husband in the future. The little telltale signs of his vulnerability and insecurity were there in the shadows of his eyes and the stiffness of his frame.

"Blaine leaving us was the best thing in the world. I didn't know it then, but both of _you_ did. And when my best friend and the man I'm going to spend the rest of my life with agree on something, I need to learn to just fall in line. It's beyond my control."

"Spend the rest of your life with? So...we need to go shopping for some rings, huh?"

"Eventually. Now shut up and get in bed, honey."

"Hmm. Yes, sir!"

Kurt laughed.

~~Glee~~

A few weeks into the new semester, Blaine asked if they could go on a double date. Kurt was nervous about how he'd react to another man who was sleeping with Blaine, but Bas teased him. "You can't think that you are the only one who would ever get to be with him just because you were his first, right? Come on, you shared him with me."

"I know. It's just… Knowing that they're into that scene together… What do you think they do? Do you think he beats Blaine?"

Bas hugged him. "If he does, it's because Blaine wants him to. Safe, sane, and consensual." Elliott had spent time explaining things to both Kurt and Sebastian, and Bas was really growing to like him. It was nice having a friend outside of the McKinley alumnus. It was nice having real friends period, actually. Bas didn't think he'd ever truly had any before.

Kurt sighed. "I guess if _you're_ okay with the idea, with your past, I should trust you and be okay, too."

"Fuck _should_. Whatever you feel, you feel. I'm here. I love you. If he doesn't seem safe, we'll get him out of there, alright?"

Nodding, Kurt began to relax. Bas knew just what to say.

They needn't have worried. Eric was incredibly sweet and obviously smitten with Blaine. They were beyond adorable together, teasing and flirting and looking at each other all starry-eyed.

As always, alcohol brought out the effusive, extravagant, and overly affectionate part of Blaine.

"I am so happy we're here together! We should go to karaoke and sing. Can we call Elliott and Santanta an' Dannn-y?" He drawled, getting names wrong and forgetting that Dani and Santana had broken up months before.

Bas grinned and watched to see how Eric would deal with Blaine.

"Hmm, darlin', there's no karaoke here and I don't want to go to another bar. How bout I let you serenade me after we go back to my place?"

"I could do it now! I used-used to sing a-a-capella. So di' Kurt 'n Bas. C'mon, you guys sing, um, s-sing backup..."

Kurt raised an eyebrow at Eric, who laughed at his boyfriend, ignoring Kurt.

"I said later, sweet pea," Eric reminded Blaine, who looked at him and pouted.

"He is really wasted," Kurt said pointedly. Bas's eyes slid between Kurt and Eric, narrowing.

Eric pulled Blaine into his lap and finally looked over at Kurt. "I'll take care of him. He's only had two beers: he drops his inhibitions real easily when he feels safe."

Kurt's shoulders immediately relaxed. He gave Eric a sincere smile. "I'm glad you understand him."

Looking to his own partner, the man who truly understood him, Kurt's smile grew wider. Bas chuckled and took his hand, nodding.

Kurt was happy.

Blaine was so _obviously_ happy.

And the warmth and contentment he felt made Sebastian realize that he was happy, too.

 _A/N So that's it. I'll post the epilogue as soon as I finish the author's notes (which will likely be as long as the chapter!)._

 _I really do want to know if you liked the ending._


	21. Chapter 21

Epilogue

Time To Fly

Kurt lugged the bag of paper through the front door, and Bas hurried to help him.

"What is all this?" Bas asked, seeing a book and different colored paper.

"I'm going to do this origami thing for a design Isabelle wants to see. I came up with it and she just loved the idea and I figured I could work on them at home while I watch tv or whatever," Kurt said easily.

It wasn't the strangest thing Kurt had done for a design or a photo shoot (Bas was there for the the suit made of tinsel and ribbons for a project at Parsons, after all), so Bas just shrugged and asked where he should put the bag.

The following weeks, Bas grew to take for granted that Kurt would be folding papers whenever he wasn't moving around. While the coffee brewed, after breakfast, in the afternoon, at night; Kurt was rarely still without folding paper.

It wasn't until Bas came back from a long training run (he was planning to participate in the New York Marathon for the local LGBTQ community center, with the support of his brokerage firm) and found columned strings of origami cranes hanging throughout the apartment that he realized he'd been hoodwinked.

The cranes made a gorgeous pattern of blues and greens that moved softly like waves as Bas stopped in the front hall to take them in. He saw envelopes clipped on each strand and reached for the one directly in front of him. It was numbered with a 4, and he looked to the left and saw the one on the next read 3, so he reached for the first strand and found the 1. Opening it, Bas discovered a card of pale blue paper with a date from almost seven years before in scrolling calligraphy. He flipped it open and read _The Lima Bean._ Bas reached for envelope number two. Another date, and the word _Regionals._

The third was clearer. Cincinnati Concert Hall. Smiling as he remembered that day with Kurt, Bas continued in order.

His father's apartment in Columbus.

His apartment in Lima.

The debit card.

Their first apartment in New York, with a date that definitely wasn't the day they moved in.

The same address again, with a date not too long after the previous one.

Kurt's home address in Lima with a date at the beginning of the summer break after Bas's freshman year of college. He flushed still, remembering the frank discussion with Burt that led them to spend all the school breaks and visits to Ohio living together with the family, staying in Kurt's old bedroom.

66 5th Avenue, the street address for Parsons, the date from when Kurt had switched to the school's Adult Education program, following his true passion.

Another New York address; Bas recognized the first brokerage firm he'd interned with.

The Fashion Institute of Technology, where Bas had tried to propose but Kurt had refused, arguing that until they were out of college, it was absurd.

Coordinates that made Bas frown until he recognized the date of his graduation from Columbia: he'd wrapped the Porsche around a tree driving them to a celebratory getaway upstate. They really needed to actually stay at that gay resort sometime...

Indian Lake, where they'd had that vacation along with the huge fight and the incredible makeup sex.

Bas's current office, with his official start date.

Kurt's birthday from the previous year, with an address Bas didn't recognize but which must have been the restaurant where Kurt and Bas had been when Blaine had asked Kurt to make him a suit for his appearance at the Tony's for the play he'd gotten right after he graduated from NYADA. That red suit, and the more subdued black one Kurt had made for Eric, had launched Kurt into the consciousness of the New York elite.

Fashion week this year, where Kurt's first collection had garnered rave reviews.

Bas's office again, and the date he'd gotten his promotion.

Kurt stood beside the last strand and Bas gave him a quizzical look as he read it. The address of the apartment they stood in, with today's date.

"Babe, what..."

"The Japanese legend says that if you fold a thousand cranes, the gods will grant a wish," Kurt said. His expression was one Bas had never seen before: hopeful and excited with an undercurrent of what looked like fear. His face was flushed, with the crimson spots on his cheeks that Bas associated with him being extremely emotional. His eyes were wide and his bottom lip trembled slightly.

When Kurt dropped to one knee, Bas's heart just about burst out of his chest.

"Only you can make my wish come true. I love you, Bas. Will you be my husband?"

Bas's mind screamed _'Yes_!', but he couldn't get the word out. His mouth opened and closed like a fish.

Kurt waited, and the eagerness slowly drained from his face along with the blood, leaving him white as a pillow with only those heightened red cheeks.

As Kurt started to rise, Bas fell to his knees and threw his arms around Kurt.

"Kurt..." Bas choked out.

"I'm sorry, honey, I thought we were ready for this. I don't want to pressure you. I'm perfectly happy being your boyfriend forever if that's what you want. I just wanted you to know that I've been remembering all our past together from the first day we met and hated each other, and it just seemed like the perfect way to-"

"Kurt!" Bas drew back and finally managed to speak. "Yes. Yes! I love you. I want to marry you. This was the most romantic, overwhelming proposal I have ever seen. Stop freaking the fuck out because I'm saying _yes_!"

A choked laugh burst from Kurt and they kissed as Bas felt tears wet both their faces. They broke away and held each other, kneeling in their beautiful apartment, their home.

"I just have one request," Bas whispered. "You know I've worked through a ton of my family shit, and there's probably still more I need to address, but... I want to take your name. I will never be proud to be a Smythe, but I would be honored to be a Hummel."

Kurt sobbed and held him tight, nodding against his shoulder, and Bas shivered with the perfection of how every moment since that day in The Lima Bean had led him here; from the angry, lonely Sebastian Smythe to the happily married Bas Hummel he would soon be.

~~GleeEnd~~

 _A/N So many people to thank. First and always, my beta reader, Flyingpiglet. I completely stole this proposal idea with important dates and events from their life together from her. My writing would never have matured into what it is now without her constant cheerleading and questioning. I'm grateful for her friendship and her insight._

 _Everyone who has read, favorited, followed, left kudos, bookmarked, and downloaded, and most especially those who commented or reviewed. My thanks are all I can offer._

 _Actually, not true! I'm writing a bunch of oneshots of Kurt and Bas's life together. I hope to post the first one soon. Depending on response I might be persuaded to write some kinky Eric/Blaine smut as well. So, anyone who's like me and isn't quite ready to say goodbye to this verse yet, well, congratulations; you don't have to._

 _Great thanks to my most responsive readers: Ann, Megan, The_Infinant_One, tomada (I hope you came back and finished it at some point, I know the year apart was tough), delightful_fear, AriWinterspell, Melissa, 27Rayne, bellakanusti, Janicepj, Multimerc, Fannieforever15, YurTeddyBear, I hate mosquitos, TrackingGlitterInTheBatCave, Fiachna, ToniMH, , onyx115, SaxyBitch, and DivaDi103._

 _And daydreamer and Celeste_Morrigan: I've enjoyed our interactions greatly. Celeste, I'll see you on Tumblr. Daydreamer, I hope you'll check out my other work and keep in touch._

 _Until next time…_


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